Transaction automation and archival system using electronic contract disclosure units

ABSTRACT

A system is provided for controlling, real-time logging, and archiving complex commercial transactions such as the purchase and financing of an automobile. An electronic contract disclosure unit or ECDU includes a digitizing display for imaging documents involved in the transaction and a digitizer for manual interaction with images on the display. A computer controls the transaction, and may for instance, control the order of presentation of documents to a vehicle purchaser, receive the purchaser&#39;s signature on the displayed documents when required, offer choices of various packages that can be accepted or declined by the purchaser, and insures that the entire transaction is carried out properly. The ECDU logs the transaction for future review and preferably records video and audio. Fingerprint readers allow participants to select between options by pressing their thumb or finger on the readers.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/963,288filed Aug. 9, 2013; which is a continuation of Ser. No. 13/534,319,filed Jun. 27, 2012; now U.S. Pat. No. 8,531,424; which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/006,612, filed Jan.4, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,228,299; which is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/339,812 filed Jan. 25, 2006, nowAbandoned; which claims the benefit of the filing dates of U.S.Provisional Application Nos. 60/647,569, filed Jan. 27, 2005;60/663,801, filed Mar. 21, 2005; 60/675,116, filed Apr. 27, 2005;60/691,681, filed Jun. 17, 2005; and 60/734,546, filed Nov. 8, 2005.Application Ser. No. 12/006,612 also claims the benefit of the filingdates of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60/878,836 filed Jan. 5, 2007and 60/951,524 filed Jul. 24, 2007. All of these applications are herebyincorporated herein, in their entirety, by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to commercial transactions and moreparticularly to the automation, logging, and archiving of the stages ofcommercial transactions such as the closing of vehicle sales atautomotive dealerships, and to control of the collaborative space withinwhich parties to a transaction participate. The invention incorporates atransaction automation and archival system and methodology, the heart ofwhich is the electronic contract disclosure unit, referred to herein asthe “ECDU.”

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently, customers and businesses complete transactions in a verymanual, informal, rushed, often incomplete fashion except for the signeddocument. At the center of such transactions are contracts anddisclosures. An example of such a transaction is the closing of avehicle sale at an automotive dealership, although many other types oftransactions are contemplated herein. Contracts and disclosures aremanually prepared prior to the transaction typically using pre-printedforms, are manually presented to the consumer in a paper format, and aremanually executed by the parties by initialing and signing variouslocations. During this execution of the contract, it is common that alot of informal communication occurs that is not recorded or preserved.Because these documents are often long, complicated, utilize smallprint, and depend upon hard to understand legal language, the businessemployee managing the transaction often endeavors to simplify and speedup the process by explaining the content verbally. Invariably, suchverbal explanations lack the formal content and legally requireddisclosures in the written document and no record is kept of theexplanations to prove otherwise. Additionally, the business employeeoften is not adequately trained to explain the contract and disclosures,thus leading to misrepresentations, frequent disputes about what was orwas not disclosed, and generally poor customer satisfaction. Because norecord of this manual and verbal informal transaction is made, thebusiness is compelled to spend a lot of time and money training theemployees to represent products, contracts, and disclosures in anaccurate, consistent, and fair manner. Even then, misrepresentation,misunderstanding, and disputes can and do occur.

In a society dominated by ever increasing legal complexity—agreementsrequired to document transactions between parties, especially of thepreprinted variety, are difficult to understand and are frequently‘explained’ or ‘disclosed’ by legally unqualified individuals.Additionally, preprinted paper documents are prone to revisions thateither become out of date or improperly used or completed. At the sametime, many transactions, such as consumer installment loans, now requireeven more specific explanation and disclosures due to increasinglyrestrictive and complex legal regulations. Also, agreements increasinglyare being disclosed to individuals from whom English is not their firstlanguage or where cultural differences make verbal requests for simplerexplanations difficult and unlikely.

Clearly, providing qualified legal advice in a multitude of languagesisn't practical or even possible with the volume of transactions thattake place on a daily basis. Even where transactions are properlydisclosed and documented, disagreements can later arise where a partyclaims something did or did not take place relying on recollectionand/or completed documents to ‘refresh’ poor memories. Further, even astechnology is more frequently used to eliminate the problems ofpaper-based documentation, that same technology introduces yet a newgeneration of problems and legal challenges. Examples of electronicallycreated issues are authentication of the parties, verification oftechnical abilities of signatories, and even documenting the willingnessof parties to accept and use technology. Examples of some of the newregulations include the E-Sign Law, Federal Reserve Regulation B,Universal Electronic Transactions Act (UETA), and the Gramm-Leach-BlileyAct. Lastly, technological alternatives to paper-based methodologiesrequire increasingly complex networks, storage and retrieval methods,and present a host of security and fraud issues. There is a need toaddress these and other problems and shortcomings.

The prior art includes various attempts, devices, software packages, andmethodologies for addressing bits and pieces of the formidable problemsand shortcomings inherent in historical and traditional ways of managinga commercial transaction. In the automotive industry, for instance,software packages such as an e-contracting system known as “DealerTrack” are used to help arrange financing and electronically capturesignatures for loan and lease contracts at automotive dealerships. Forthe most part, these systems implement web-based applications on atraditional computer used by automotive dealership personnel to obtain,print out, present, and/or have executed the variety of documents anddisclosures involved in the sale and financing of a vehicle. In somecases where signatures are captured electronically, these systems mayincorporate an electronic signature pad for capturing and digitizing apurchaser's signature at various junctures during the transaction, butthe pad is merely a blank area where a user signs to have his or hersignature captured. However, much of the process is still paper based,the transaction is not captured and archived for later review orconfirmation, and lacks insurable consistency from transaction totransaction.

More specifically, the Dealer Track e-contracting software mentionedabove is a web-based application that prints out contracts anddisclosures on paper, which are then reviewed by a purchaser and perhapsexplained by a salesman in the traditional way. A purchaser thenindicates his understanding and agreement by signing a stand alone blankelectronic signature pad. A computer captures the signature, applies itelectronically to the document to which it pertains, and prints out thedocument again with the electronic signature applied. Clearly, such amethodology retains many of the problems of traditional paper documents,and also introduces problems of its own. For instance, paper is stillthe medium of presentation and explanation, the problems with inaccurateand incomplete verbal explanations still exists, and the paper documentsare required to be printed twice. In addition, the purchaser has noassurance that the signature that is scribed on the electronic signaturepad is in fact being paired with or properly applied on the document forwhich it is intended, which is confusing and can lead tomisunderstanding and disputes.

The prior art also generally includes electronic pads typical of thosefound at retail establishments. These pads may include a card swipe slotand a touch screen and are coupled to the cash register, and thereby toa retail establishment's central accounting computer. Such electronicpads are used to allow a customer to pay for merchandise with a debit orcredit card by swiping the card, confirming a transaction amount,selecting among various options such as “cash back,” and confirming thetransaction by signing the screen. The customer's signature is digitizedas authorization to charge his or her credit card. Such systems arerudimentary and provide very little in the way of disclosure managementand nothing in the way of contract document management and transactionarchiving. These systems are used for the simplest of transactions wherethere is a single agreement with a single signature approval response,no options from which to choose, and little or no room formisunderstanding or erroneous disclosure.

The prior art further includes devices and methods for digitizingportions of a paper transaction. These devices and methods include, forexample, digitizer pads and position-coded paper for use with a scanningelectronic pen. With digitizer pads, a piece of paper to be written ordrawn upon can be secured atop the pad and then written or drawn on witha traditional or special pen. The underlying digitizer pad has a sensorarray that continuously detects the position of the pen tip anddigitizes writing, check marks, or signatures of the individual fillingout the paper form. This information can then be transferred to anelectronic version of the paper form for electronic storage andretrieval. U.S. Pat. No. 6,906,694 of Iwamoto et al. and assigned toWacom Co. of Japan discloses an example of a prior art digitizer pad.

In contrast to digitizer pads, position-coded paper solutions includepaper documents that are printed with a background of small, almostimperceptible, dots arrayed in unique recognizable patterns. Anelectronic pen is used to fill out the document. As the electronic penmoves over the surface of the paper, a small camera in its tip “watches”the dot pattern moving under the pen. From the dot pattern, it can bedetermined where on the paper the pen tip is at any moment. Thiselectronic information, then, can be used to recreate the motions of thepen and thereby digitize all information applied in writing to the paperby the user of the pen. In some cases, the electronic pen is connectedto a computer for near real time digitization of written information,and in other cases a docking station is provided that retrieves storedinformation from the pen after use to recreate and digitize writingpreviously applied to the coded surface paper. An example of thistechnology may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,495 of Lyggaard et al,which is assigned to Anoto AB. Also, the LogiTech IO2 Digital WritingSystem available from LogiTech Designs of Fremont, Calif. is an exampleof a prior art digitizer pen input system of this type.

The prior art also includes devices and methodologies for recording allor a portion of a financial transaction. Everyone is familiar, forexample, with ATM machines that include video cameras. The camerasusually are positioned behind a glass plate and capture a video image ofeach person who approaches and uses the ATM machine. Such systemsgenerally are very rudimentary in that the video is not linkedelectronically to the transaction and, if needed, is recovered by a timesearch of the video data. ATM machines also generally include onlybutton initiated responses and are not suitable for transactionsrequiring even a small amount of sophistication.

The prior art, of course, has long included paper and computer menus,which can be used to present options and/or disclosures to a user, suchas the purchaser of a vehicle, in a consistent way. However, there is noassurance or confirmation with such menus that a customer actually readsthem, or that if they are read, that they are understood. In fact, ithas been observed that many people when presented with a menu ofdisclosures or options does not read them at all. This can bedetrimental in a complex transaction such as the sale and purchase of avehicle where, in many cases, the salesperson skips quickly through suchmenus and they are not read. Many disputes arise later when it isclaimed by a purchaser that certain required disclosures or options werenot adequately presented during the transaction.

Still further, the prior art includes tablet and laptop personalcomputers (PCs) and other electronic devices for general use in a widevariety of applications. Some more recent computers are provided with afingerprint reader that is used for identification and verification of auser attempting to log on to the system. To the best of the inventor'sknowledge, however, the fingerprint readers of such machines are notused for any other purposes. For example, they are not used as a generalinput device that can be integrated into software applications to, forexample, indicate acceptance or rejection of an option or propositionwhile simultaneously verifying identity. No machine is known thatincorporates more than one fingerprint reader. Fingerprint readers alsoare provided as stand alone input devices for computers that can beconnected, for instance, via USB port. Such readers traditionally areused for identification and log-on purposes, just as the built-inreaders of more recent laptop computers.

A wide variety of electronic F&I (finance and insurance) managementsystems exist in the prior art, particularly for use by automotivedealerships and banks, one such system having been offered for manyyears by Coin Financial Systems located in the State of Georgia, U.S.A.Such systems typically are centered around an extensive data base ofvarious forms, legally required disclosures, promotional offers, add-onpackage presentations, and the like. While these systems aid inorganizing and selecting appropriate forms, they nevertheless are ratherunsophisticated and do not themselves direct and manage a transaction.Further, there have been no provisions for insuring that a customer isactually presented with all required options, proper disclosures anddocuments, or that they are read and understood. Transactional archivingis limited to raw data and/or documentation with no audit trail toinsure sales persons acted appropriately.

Increasingly, tablet computers are being used by professionals such asdoctors in their offices to input information about patients in realtime. The information is then catalogued, indexed, and organized foreasy access and cross referencing with other data bases such as apatient's history, allergy records, current medications, and the like.However, such uses only automate an otherwise manual process and are notused to control, manage, or aid in the transaction between twoindividuals.

From the forgoing, it can be seen that there has been progress in thesimplification and automation of financial and other types of commercialtransactions, particularly since the advent of the personal computer.That progress has been generally limited to administrative support of asingle user. However, there is still a need for a comprehensivetransaction automation system for complex commercial transactions suchas the closing of a sale, lease, and/or financing of a vehicle at anautomotive dealership. Such a system should have the capability tocontrol and manage the entire transaction, including the presentation oflegal disclosures, contracts, lease agreements, financing arrangements,and the various options related thereto to a buyer. It should generallyprovide for a highly interactive shared workspace between all parties tothe transaction and positively identify and verify these parties. Thisshould be done in a completely consistent and proven manner to insurethat all information is provided to the buyer utilizing best practices.The system should insure that each document presented to the buyer isread and understood by the buyer in order to prevent later disputesinvolving a buyer's claim that certain terms, conditions, and/ordisclosures were not provided. The entire transaction should be recordedand archived for potential use at a later date to reconstruct exactlywhat occurred during the original transaction. The system also shouldintegrate automatically with third party participants, such as financecompanies and insurance companies, so that transactions have the benefitof real time accurate information upon which decisions are to be made.It is to the provision of a transaction automation, real timetransaction logging, and archival system that provides these and manymore beneficial features and advantages that the present invention, inits various embodiments described below, is primarily directed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly described, the present invention, which may be manifested inmany embodiments, is a comprehensive and all encompassing transactionautomation, real time logging (recording in real time), and archivalsystem and methodology for precise management of a complex commercialtransaction, such as the sale of a vehicle. In one embodiment, the heartof the device of the invention is a tablet PC that is programmed tocarry out accurately, completely, and in the correct order, all stagesof the commercial transaction. The tablet PC may be enclosed or encasedin a housing that includes a wide variety of accessories, thecombination of which gives rise to the system of the invention. Forinstance, the housing preferably includes at least two fingerprintreaders adjacent areas of the PC screen where options are presented.Options are selected or questions answered by placing a finger on theappropriate reader. This action both answers the question and confirmsvia fingerprint that it is, in fact, the customer answering thequestion. Other accessories may include a video camera and/or microphonefor recording the transaction, an audio speaker for reading documentsout loud, a card swiper, a scanner, a printer, a wireless unit, andothers, all described in detail below. During a transaction, the unitmay slide between the participants. All documents of the transaction arepresented on the screen, signatures are captured on the screen, optionsare presented on the screen, and legally required disclosures arepresented on the screen. Any or all of these also may be read aloud. Theentire transaction is captured via video and audio for future use ifnecessary. It will thus be seen that an entire commercial transaction ismanaged, properly completed, and recorded and archived by thetransaction automation and archival system of the present invention. Thesystem is described more fully as follows.

The collaborative transaction volume (CTV) is a three-dimensional spacebetween or within which the parties to a transaction participate;typically a business employee and a customer. FIG. 1 portrays the CTV 11of an Electronic Contract Disclosure Unit (ECDU) 10 according to thisinvention. In the preferred embodiment, the ECDU 10 is used to control,standardize, improve and record activities or events that occur withinthe CTV 11. The ECDU 10 controls and standardizes the CTV 11 byelectronically presenting the transaction materials (e.g.advertisements, menus, contracts, disclosures, etc) to the participantsin the transaction (e.g. a consumer and business employee) in aconsistent manner. In fact, the entire transaction between a businessemployee 13 and a customer 14 within the CTV 11 is controlled by theECDU 10. Further, remote participants such as financial institutions,insurance companies, and add-on suppliers are brought virtually into theCTV via the Internet. The interactivity of the ECDU 10 improves thetransaction by providing language translation capability, standardizedhelp and glossaries, graphical visual aids and multimedia support. Theconnectivity of the ECDU 10 allows additional parties to the transactionto be virtually present within the CTV. These additional parties includeinsurance companies, financial institutions, manufacturers, etc. Thecomplete ECDU record contains a wealth of information that benefits allparties to the transaction. This complete record includes the identityof the parties, the environment (audio, video, temperature, position,demeanor, etc), the presented material, and the executed documents. Therecord allows the transaction to be virtually recreated. For example,the business can review the transaction to insure that businessrepresentatives are following policies and procedures and effectivelyusing the sales tools. The customer's response to the sales tools can beused to evaluate products and how they are offered, explained, andadvertised. Product vendor/manufacturers can review the customercomplete reactions to their products.

One embodiment of the present invention relates to data capture usingspecialized data entry technology, like electronic tablets, scanningpens, digitizers, ultrasonic pens, and other capture devices, or anyfuture devices with such capabilities, and/or data extracted from one ormore systems used to ‘fill in the blanks’ of preprinted and/orelectronic forms. Most importantly, the captured data includessignatures, biometrics, camera images and/or video, and audio of one ormore parties to a transaction.

A person inputting information in one embodiment is biometricallyauthenticated using one or more means and/or answering questions usingone or more separate devices. The ECDU 10 includes devices for biometricauthentication comprising fingerprint reader(s), camera(s), microphonesor other voice capture devices. Other forms of authentication includepassword entry devices, signature capture devices, etc.

A person executing contracts and disclosures using one embodiment of thepresent invention may validate that each screen was read and understood.The validation process uses one or more biometric devices comprisingfingerprint readers, camera(s), microphone capture, password entry,signature capture, etc. In one embodiment, multiple biometric readersare used to simplify the validation process—one for biometric‘accepts/agrees/ok,’ and one for biometric ‘declines/disagrees/no.’Specifically, two fingerprint readers are deployed for this function inone embodiment of the present invention.

Contracts and disclosure statements are displayed in one embodimentusing emphasis tools to highlight important information (e.g. importantterms and conditions) in contractually or legally binding agreements.Translated versions are available to non-native speakers, audio outputs(read-out-loud) functionality may be available to assist visuallyimpaired users or others.

Further documenting a transaction by recording and/or preservingenvironmental and/or transaction derived metrics such as time spent onvarious documents or sections within documents, physical metrics of thedevice user such as pulse, eye blinks or movement, eye focusing point,or facial expressions are used in one embodiment of the invention.

Storing and securing all transaction based information and metrics takenor derived enables ‘replicating’ transaction circumstances, ‘state ofmind’ information, or the surrounding environmental information at alater date.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a system designedto build, maintain, and distribute documents that utilizes technologyfor simplification or highlighting (emphasized) information necessary tomore fully understand and/or complete transaction documents.

One embodiment involves a centralized repository processing system (RPS)that acts as a single-stop, computerized location for interfacing ECDUsto participants (e.g. lenders, suppliers, etc.).

In order to verify understanding, such as monitoring screen interactionto ensure the user has spent adequate time on each screen, processes arecarried out by prompting the user to circle key information (e.g.,number of payments) to insure that he understands the key informationcontained in the agreement. In addition, the user is required to verifyinformation by re-entering it via typing, writing, or speaking keyinformation.

The present invention in one embodiment relates to a hardware devicethat performs the electronic disclosures and aids in executing andcompleting contracts between parties while capturing and recording bothdata and session metrics.

Embodiments of the invention also relate to the integrated, electronicflow of contracts and disclosures and storage in data repositories forthose disclosures.

Disclosures and contracts are converted into an active (dynamic notstatic) format suitable for use on the hardware device in oneembodiment.

Script builder software available to perform translation of papercontracts and disclosures is utilized in one embodiment of the presentinvention, which allows the conversion of paper contracts anddisclosures into a format that is easily distributed and secured anddisplayed using devices with variable display real estate.

The ECDU 10 provides uniformity across contract and disclosure procedurewithout the need for extensive and/or costly training of personnel. Thecontract and disclosure procedure is defined in an electronic format atthe time of creation in one embodiment.

ECDU output in one embodiment incorporates the executed contract anddisclosures along with captured and recorded session data. In oneembodiment, the whole session can be replayed to evaluate, measure, andreview for quality control and real-time feedback.

In one embodiment, the ECDU 10 supports integrating menus of standardpackage offerings with contract and disclosure completion. This featureboth provides additional product sales opportunities, and also notifiesthe consumer of all the options that are available.

In another embodiment, product advertisements are integrated into themenus, such that the consumer is made aware of the advantages ofspecific products, leading to increased potential sales for theseproducts. The effectiveness of particular advertisements is monitoredfrom ECDU session data and then documented, such that the sales cost ofa given advertisement is calculated based on the placement and formatfor the advertisement.

In another embodiment, the interactive advantage of the ECDU is utilizedin providing the consumer with a large number of choices for variousfinancing packages and terms. For example, it can show the variouspayment frequencies as including not only monthly payments structures,but also annually, bi-monthly, bi-weekly, pseudo bi-weekly (monthly paidevery two weeks), weekly, daily, or even quarterly. Where any of thefinancing packages require additional contracts and disclosures, theECDU has the capability of automatically presenting them to theconsumer, as well as executing them, if needed.

In another embodiment, the ECDU 10 provides credit applicationassistance. The ECDU assisted credit application process saves time,eliminates mistakes and cost of re-keying applications, and reduces riskof inadvertent disclosure of consumer financial data.

The ECDU 10 in one embodiment provides tight integration of the salesprocess from credit application, to package item selection and pricing,to automated disclosures, and finally to authentication of contractparties.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a collaborative transactionvolume (CTV) of an electronic contract and disclosure unit (ECDU)according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional component diagram of an ECDU of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a functional base operational software component diagram of anECDU.

FIG. 4 is a perspective illustration of one embodiment of an ECDUaccording to the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective illustration of an ECDU with decision buttons.

FIG. 6 is a perspective illustration of an ECDU with single fingerprintreader.

FIG. 7 is a perspective illustration of an ECDU with separate signaturepad.

FIG. 8 is a perspective illustration of a framed tablet PC-based ECDU.

FIG. 9 is a perspective illustration of a frame cased tablet PC-basedECDU.

FIG. 10 is a perspective illustration of an ECDU with swing arm camera.

FIG. 11 is a perspective illustration of an ECDU with retractable cableassembly and cover pad.

FIG. 12 is a perspective illustration showing cover pad raceways.

FIG. 13 is a perspective illustration of a plunger based glide/brakeunit according to the invention.

FIG. 14 perspective illustration of a roller based glide/brake unit.

FIG. 15 is a perspective illustration of a caster wheel basedglide/brake unit.

FIG. 16 perspective illustration of an ECDU t-slot unit according to theinvention.

FIG. 17 is a perspective illustration showing details of the t-slot unitof FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a perspective illustration of an ECDU with an overlay unit.

FIG. 19 is a perspective illustration of an tablet PC-based ECDU withstand alone peripheral unit.

FIG. 20 is a perspective illustration of a PC-based ECDU with standalone peripheral unit.

FIG. 21 is a perspective illustration of special location code documentID reader printer.

FIG. 22 is a perspective illustration of a barcode document ID readerprinter.

FIG. 23 illustrates a dot-pattern usage and transaction log.

FIG. 24 illustrates a forms log and transaction log for pre-encodedforms.

FIG. 25 is a perspective illustration of a PC-based ECDU with standalone peripheral unit and digitizer unit.

FIG. 26 is a perspective illustration of a PC-based ECDU with standalone peripheral unit and ultrasonic digitizer unit.

FIG. 27 is a perspective illustration of a stand alone display anddigitizer grid ECDU.

FIG. 28 is a perspective illustration of a dual tablet display ECDUintegrated in a desk.

FIG. 29 is a perspective illustration of an ECDU cradle.

FIG. 30 is a perspective illustration of an ECDU scanning pen.

FIG. 31 is a perspective illustration of an ECDU stylus pen.

FIG. 32 is a perspective illustration of a multi scanning pen dockingbank.

FIG. 33 illustrates a repository processing system (RPS).

FIG. 34 is a dealership link diagram showing a DMS LAN configuration.

FIG. 35 is a dealership link diagram showing a DMS direct ECDU LANconfiguration.

FIG. 36 is a dealership link diagram showing a DMS modem configuration.

FIG. 37 is a dealership link diagram showing DMS LAN configuration andF&I connected to ECDU and F&I integrated ECDU.

FIG. 38 is a point-of-sale (POS) link diagram.

FIG. 39 illustrates a dealership deal flow with an ECDU.

FIG. 40 illustrates a dealership deal flow with ECDU and automatic datahandling system.

FIG. 41 illustrates a dealership deal flow with an integrated ECDU/F&Isystem and F&I system with an ECDU peripheral.

FIG. 42 illustrates a dealership deal flow with scanning pen basedECDU/F&I system.

FIG. 43 illustrates a point-of-sale (POS) transaction flow.

FIG. 44 is an illustration of an ECDU employee login screen.

FIG. 45 is an illustration of an ECDU initialization screen.

FIG. 46 is an illustration of an ECDU screen flip pen tool.

FIG. 47 is an illustration of an ECDU screen rotate pen tool.

FIG. 48 is an illustration of an ECDU screen highlight tool.

FIG. 49 illustrates an ECDU credit application.

FIG. 50 illustrates an ECDU credit application signature screen.

FIG. 51 shows a credit application on location coded paper.

FIG. 52 illustrates an ECDU dealership application screen.

FIG. 53 illustrates an ECDU package item selection screen.

FIG. 54 illustrates an ECDU loan payment option grid screen.

FIG. 55 illustrates an ECDU lease payment option grid screen.

FIG. 56 illustrates an ECDU cash purchase screen.

FIG. 57 illustrates an ECDU loan/lease payment comparison grid screen.

FIG. 58 shows dealership menuing on location coded paper.

FIG. 59 shows a dealership lease payment grid on location coded paper.

FIG. 60 shows a dealership payment option selection form on locationcoded paper.

FIG. 61 illustrates an ECDU date/time validation screen.

FIG. 62 illustrates an ECDU lease parties screen.

FIG. 63 illustrates an ECDU record of identification screen.

FIG. 64 illustrates an ECDU vehicle information screen.

FIG. 65 illustrates an ECDU payment terms screen.

FIG. 66 illustrates an ECDU pen acknowledgement tool.

FIG. 67 illustrates an ECDU emphasis bubble tool.

FIG. 68 illustrates an ECDU warranty terms screen.

FIG. 69 illustrates an ECDU pop-up glossary screen.

FIG. 70 illustrates an ECDU pop-up multiple language glossary screen.

FIG. 71 illustrates an ECDU sweep and reveal tool.

FIG. 72 illustrates an ECDU multi-screen disclosure.

FIG. 73 illustrates an ECDU top/down split screen method.

FIG. 74 illustrates an ECDU top/down split screen method with multiplelanguages.

FIG. 75 illustrates a tandem ECDU configuration.

FIG. 76 illustrates an ECDU with tandem PC.

FIG. 77 illustrates an ECDU language toggle button.

FIG. 78 illustrates an ECDU split-screen translation.

FIG. 79 illustrates an ECDU interleaved language disclosure.

FIG. 80 illustrates an ECDU read-out-loud tool.

FIG. 81 illustrates an ECDU time warning screen

FIG. 82 illustrates an ECDU warranty agreement screen.

FIG. 83 illustrates an ECDU warranty agreement signature screen.

FIG. 84 illustrates an ECDU odometer disclosure screen.

FIG. 85 illustrates an ECDU consumer credit disclosure screen.

FIG. 86 illustrates an ECDU lease agreement summary screen.

FIG. 87 illustrates an ECDU lessor signature screen.

FIG. 88 illustrates an ECDU hardcopy output.

FIG. 89 illustrates an ECDU detailed hardcopy output.

FIG. 90 illustrates an ECDU hardcopy verification.

FIG. 91 illustrates hardcopy output on location coded paper.

FIG. 92 illustrates hardcopy on pre-printed location coded paper.

FIG. 93 illustrates hardcopy output on paper.

FIG. 94 illustrates hardcopy on pre-printed paper.

FIG. 95 illustrates hardcopy output showing interleaved multiplelanguages.

FIG. 96 illustrates an ECDU session log.

FIG. 97 shows ECDU product analysis metrics.

FIG. 98 illustrates a script builder.

FIG. 99 illustrates an ECDU interpreter.

FIG. 100 shows sample evolution of electronic contract and disclosures(ECD).

FIG. 101 is an ECDU data pattern diagram for a single user.

FIG. 102 illustrates a remote training/support tandem configuration ofthe ECDU.

FIG. 103 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a complete hardcopycontaining the ECDU session and additional dealership materials.

FIG. 104 is a perspective illustration of an ECDU frame top assembly inyet another embodiment thereof.

FIG. 105 is a perspective illustration of the frame bottom panel for theECDU of FIG. 104.

FIG. 106 is a side view illustration of the ECDU embodiment of FIG. 104surface mounted on a desk.

FIG. 107 is a perspective illustration of the ECDU embodiment of FIG.104 flush mounted in a desk.

FIG. 108 is a perspective illustration illustrating another embodimentof an ECDU station with adjustable viewing angle of an ECDU integratedinto a desk.

FIG. 109 illustrates an ECDU screen with perspective adjusted fonts.

FIG. 110 illustrates transaction log that includes documentauthentication code logging.

FIG. 111 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the make offer screen ofan ECDU.

FIG. 112 is a perspective illustration of an ECDU station incorporatedin a mobile vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention will now be described in detail, with reference being madeto the above drawing figures, which illustrate preferred embodimentsconsider by the inventors to be the best mode of carrying out theinvention disclosed herein. Several terms used in the description of theinvention will first be described and/or defined to facilitate a betterunderstanding of the invention and related discussions.

ECDU Description

The component diagram, FIG. 2, shows, in functional schematic form, somekey components of the electronic contract disclosure unit (ECDU),described in substantially more detail below. The overall functionaldescription of major components are described as follows with referenceto FIG. 2.

Controller: The controller is a computer or micro-controller with itsassociated electronic components for basic operations (such as memory, abus controller, etc.).Tablet Display & Stylus Pen: The contracts and disclosures in oneembodiment are made visible on the tablet display. The tablet display iscomposed of two major parts: the display and the digitizer. The displayis either color or monochrome. The display has the typical features ofcomputer displays—it shows text, pictures, graphics or video in nearlyunlimited ways. For example, text can be highlighted using color orreverse video, text is emphasized using size and font changes, graphicsis used to provide further understanding of conveyed information, etc.The tablet display in conjunction with the stylus pen or pens performsan interactive input function in one embodiment of the presentinvention. Specifically, the user can select, point, write, draw, ornavigate with the stylus pen and tablet display to interact withsoftware. For example, the software captures a user's signature whenhe/she signs the tablet display using the stylus pen. In addition,multiple tablet displays are useful in many situations; e.g. whengreater visual space, multiple consumers, multiple page viewing, etc.are involved in a transaction. Moreover, both internal and externaltablet displays can be used.Multiple Stylus Pens: In one embodiment, the ECDU provides a singlestylus & tablet display. In another embodiment, the ECDU is configuredto recognize and allow multiple stylus pens for input. For example, oneis used by the customer and another by an employee of the business whois directing a transaction. Each stylus is functional with the ECDUdisplaying and logging the activity of the respective pen. The allowableactions of each pen is limited by the ECDU. For example, it may bedetermined that only the consumer pen is allowed to sign the contract,only the business pen is allowed to activate the flip tool, navigate,etc. In one embodiment, the pens are either pre-assigned or inferredfrom usage. In a further embodiment using multiple stylus pens, one isused for the consumer, one for the salesman or other employee, and onefor his supervisor, etc. In another embodiment, the pens are assigned byfunction instead of person; e.g. one pen for navigation, one pen fordata entry, agreement and signing.

In one embodiment, a commercially available stylus and digitizer of thetype used in tablet displays is used in the ECDU of the presentinvention. One provider of such components is WACOM TechnologyCorporation, located at 1311 SE Cardinal Court, Vancouver, Wash. 98683,USA (www.wacom.com). It is known in the art that such commerciallyavailable stylus pen tips contain a resonant circuit at frequency f_(o)that is sensed by a digitizer grid of electronics behind the screen. Thedigitizer grid electronics are complex enough to sense the differencebetween different resonant frequencies. In fact, the eraser at the otherend of the standard commercially available stylus pen is configured witha shifted resonant frequency, f₁. The second stylus pen in oneembodiment of the ECDU is implemented by adjusting the resonantfrequency of the second pen to the f₁ of the eraser, and then modifyingthe software to interpret eraser inputs as inputs from a second styluspen. The eraser function can also be implemented using a stylusselectable software tool (see FIG. 45). Alternatively, in furtherembodiments, other frequencies are used depending on the range of tabletmeasurable frequencies.

Alternate embodiments include a stylus with expanded functionality.Fingerprint readers are added to the stylus to capture the identity ofusers and perform required authentications during the ECDU session.Buttons are added to the stylus to enable advanced functions such aschanging the function of the stylus from writing, to highlighting, toerasing. The stylus can communicate to the ECDU using wireless protocolssuch as Bluetooth, etc. During the ECDU session initialization, the usercan swipe the fingerprint reader to initialize the stylus. The styluscan then transmit the biometrics information (e.g. fingerprintinformation) along with the stylus resonant frequency information to theECDU. The stylus is thus assigned to the user for the duration of thesession, that is, the customer can initialize one stylus and thebusiness employee can initialize another stylus. Alternately, the stylusmay communicate with the ECDU through the tablet display usingmodulation of the stylus resonant frequency. For example, thismodulation can be a frequency shift keying (FSK) where the styluschanges between two resonant frequencies to transmit data to the ECDU.

Keyboard & Buttons: A keyboard is an input device that allows the entryof alphanumeric information. Embodiments of the present inventioninclude use of physical, wireless, and wired keyboards, and a virtualkeyboard on the tablet display. The physical keyboards embodimentincludes built-in keyboards, retractable keyboards and externalkeyboards. Buttons are an input device that allows selection of promptedchoices. The buttons can be physical buttons on the ECDU or virtualbuttons on the tablet display.Biometric ID: A biometric ID (also referred to as biometric sensor orbiometric reader) is a device that provides identification using traitsof an individual. A typical biometric ID is a fingerprint reader,retinal scanner, hand geometry or a voice or facial recognition device.This invention contemplates use of biometric ID. For example, afingerprint reader can be used to document the identity of the user byrecording his or her fingerprint during a session using the ECDU. Forprivacy/security, systems do not actually store the fingerprint image,but store an encrypted representative value based on the fingerprintimage and an encryption key. Another means of recording identity in oneembodiment is to record the users face and/or voice during the use ofthe ECDU. To facilitate use of the ECDU, a biometric device (i.e.fingerprint reader) can incorporate a switch mechanism that triggersbiometric scan. Additionally, external inputs such as tablet inputs or abutton press can trigger a biometric scan. With the advent of a nationaldatabase of biometric IDs (e.g. fingerprints), a traceableauthentication process becomes possible in one embodiment of the presentinvention. One provider of biometric ID is AuthenTec, Inc., ofMelbourne, Fla. (www.authentec.com) that manufactures both swiping andnon-swiping fingerprint reader sensors. In one embodiment, a pseudosignature biometric based on stroke characteristics including speed,pressure, direction, etc., is used.Indicator Lights: Indicator lights in one embodiment of the ECDU arelights placed near biometric IDs or buttons to prompt the user whenusage is appropriate. These lights can be LEDs or distributed,illuminated areas. Lights are activated when biometric IDs are activeand ready for use. For example, in one embodiment, lights near and/oraround the “Agree” biometric ID are green and those near and/or aroundthe “Disagree” biometric ID are red. Other colors can be used dependingon other factors such as local customs. The use of a color is chosenspecifically to assist the user in selecting the correct biometric ID.For example in the above discussion, red, which is the universal colorfor stop, is associated with “Disagree”, and green, which is theuniversal color for go, is associated with “Agree”.Decision Labels: Decision labels are labels placed near two biometricIDs. In one embodiment of the ECDU, one decision label uses affirmativewords such as “Agree”, “Accept”, “Confirm”, “Yes”, “Acknowledge”,“Next”, etc. The other uses labels with non-affirmative words such as“Disagree”, “Decline”, “Deny”, “No”, “Unacknowledge”, “Cancel”, etc.Which biometric ID is “Agree” or “Disagree” can be changed based onfactors such as local customs. The decision labels are fixed or areelectronically changeable in various embodiments. Electronicallychangeable display labels (e.g. through the use of LCDs) allow thedecision labels to change with the user's selected language. The designlabels are colored using the same colors as the indicator lights tofurther aid in selection of the appropriate biometric ID.Camera: A camera is device that records visual information. Thisinformation can be single frames or multiple frames or video. The visualinformation may include both visible wavelengths and non-visiblewavelengths (i.e. infrared). For example, a digital camera or web camcan be used to provide this functionality, and multiple cameras can beutilized together. The camera will record the identity and activities(i.e. attention, reaction and demeanor) of the user during the ECDUsession. A more specialized camera is used to record multi-spectralinformation. The camera in conjunction with other components can be usedto provide video conferencing. In one embodiment, the camera includesadvanced face tracking algorithms as well as a fish eye or wide anglelens. Even panoramic, 360 degree cameras are can be used in embodimentsof the ECDU. Such fish eye, wide angle lens and/or 360 degree camerascan be used to record the conditions, influences, and environment duringthe ECDU session. In one embodiment the camera is also used to captureimages of documents (e.g. drivers license, power bills, cancelledchecks, etc). There are many camera manufacturers such as Logitech ofFremont, Calif. (www.logitech.com) that manufacture a subset of thesecameras.External Camera: In one embodiment of the ECDU, one or more additionalcameras can be located external to the ECDU device, but still utilizedas an integrated component. The views from the multiple cameras in oneembodiment are combined to provide a panoramic view of the ECDU session.The use of both the ECDU built-in cameras and external cameras in oneembodiment greatly increases the ability of the ECDU to record theconditions, influences, and environment of the ECDU session. Forexample, external wireless cameras placed at strategic places can beused to capture the whole ECDU session from a birds eye view, includingboth the setting and the various participants. Linksys, of IrvineCalif., (www.linksys.com) as well as other companies manufacture suchwireless camera units.Microphone: A microphone is a device that is used to capture sound. Themicrophone in one embodiment can be a small embedded microphone (e.g.like in cell phones) or an external microphone (e.g. sold at electronicsstores). The microphone can record the identity and responses of theuser during the ECDU session. Also, it can record any other comments ordirections given verbally by others (e.g. salesman or employee) in theproximity of the ECDU. The microphone in conjunction with othercomponents is used to provide video conferencing in one embodiment.Multiple microphones can be utilized to record environmental sounds inanother embodiment. Use of voice recognition algorithms and microphonesin one embodiment enables voice to be used as an input device forfilling in forms, for navigation, and for acceptance/decline in selectedlanguages.Speaker: A speaker is a device that is used to reproduce sound. Thespeaker in one embodiment is an embedded speaker (e.g. AM/FM radiospeaker) and/or an external speaker(s) (e.g. headphones or speakers).The ECDU can audibly read the contract and disclosure text and conveyinstructions to the user through the speaker, because some users mayhave difficulty reading due to vision or education. The speakers arealso used for auditory feedback, i.e. to confirm the selection made.Changes in sound characteristics (e.g. tonal or sound levels) can beused to emphasize importance to the user. Directional speakers also canbe used in one embodiment to focus sound for user privacy. Also, thespeakers are an integral part of the informational videos and/oradvertisements and as part of video conferencing capabilities of theECDU.Auxiliary I/O ports: Commonly, electronic devices provide an option touse external microphones and headphones using auxiliary jacks or plugs.For example, a noisy automotive dealership environment can be dealt withby using headphones and a clip-on microphone in one embodiment of thepresent invention.Bio Feedback Sensor: A bio feedback sensor is a device that measures thecurrent status of the user's condition in one embodiment. For example,pulse, temperature, blood pressure, and respiratory rate can berecorded. This biodata is used to indicate the user's state of mind(e.g. level of attention, interest, reaction or general stress level)during the ECDU session. A pulse rate sensor can be embedded in the ECDUhandles like on exercise equipment on one embodiment. In otherembodiments, the biofeedback sensor is integrated into a scanning pen orstylus. Specifically, if the user becomes agitated during the sessions,biometric indicators such as his pulse rate most likely will increase.Additionally, biofeedback can be used to ensure reception of informationor to record the reaction to events (e.g. ads, video, presentation,etc.). For example, if the biodata indicates that the user wasdistracted or lost attention, the ECDU can repeat information orre-emphasize important subjects.Motion Detector: A motion detector is a hardware device that is used invarious embodiments to monitor the motion of the ECDU or to detectmotion in the area around the ECDU device. In one embodiment, ECDUmotion is monitored using chips that measure acceleration, such as chipsused in car airbag deployment systems to sense the rapid stopping of thecar that indicates an accident. The motion detector device can be usedto detect the inactivity of the ECDU which can lead to an automatic logoff. Inactivity is the lack of nearby motion within a pre-configuredperiod of time. This process enhances security of data collected duringan ECDE session.

In one embodiment, motion is detected in the area surrounding the ECDUdevice using acoustic or IR sensors. Acoustic sensors have long beenused on cameras and robots to measure the distance to objects. If peopleare moving near the ECDU, the acoustic sensors observe changes. If theECDU is left idle, then the acoustic sensors measure constant returnsand then the ECDU can auto log off and secure the data. IR sensors cansimilarly be used to monitor the surroundings.

Glider/Brake Assembly: A glider/brake assembly is a controllablehardware device that has at least a “glide” mode and a “brake” mode. Inthe glide mode, the assembly slides or rolls easily across a surface. Inthe brake mode, the assembly does not slide or roll easily. In oneembodiment, the brake mode is activated during user interaction withECDU; e.g. during stylus interaction. When the assembly is in glidemode, the ECDU easily slides or rolls around between participants to atransaction.Electronic Serial Number: An electronic serial number is amachine-readable sequence of symbols that is unique to each device.Approximately 4 billion devices can be individually identified by usinga 32 bit number structure. In one embodiment, unique serial numbers areuploaded and applied to all of the major components for the various ECDUembodiments disclosed. These serial numbers can be used to provide anECDU address/identifier to ensure data (e.g. contract and disclosures)is coming from registered, authorized equipment.Real Time Clock: A real time clock is a synchronized clock that isautomatically set from an external reference source. For example, the USgovernment (National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) inFort Collins, Colo.) transmits radio frequency (RF) signals that clockscan use to stay synchronized. In one embodiment of this invention,tamper resistant, real-time embedded clock modules are used. The ECDUcan record the time/date of each significant event (e.g. contractexecution) or sub-event to capture the ECDU session-time progression.GPS Unit: A Global Positioning Satellite or GPS unit is a device thatcan accurately determine location to within a few meters or better of aGPS equipped device. The GPS unit determines location (space and time)from signals received from multiple, orbiting satellites. In oneembodiment, the ECDU is equipped with a GPS unit so that the locationand local time of the ECDU is logged during ECDU use, and operation isallowed or denied based on location. In another embodiment, assisted GPSunits are used to enable operation in poor GPS reception areas. Forexample, ECDU use can be limited to the premises of an automobiledealership. Also, accurate logging of transaction location is useful indetermining what legal jurisdiction transactions occurred in and to aidin fraud prevention. For example, in an application for the door-to-doorinsurance sales industry, ECDU can determine which specific forms arerequired for the jurisdiction in which the salesperson is located. Also,if the ECDU is stolen or lost, the GPS equipped ECDU can potentiallynotify the owner or authorities of its location if it is connected tothe internet or even in the presence of wireless access points. USBbased GPS receivers are commercially available from Garmin, Ltd. locatedin Olathe, Kans. 66062 (www.garmin.com).Scanner: Multiple types of scanners exist and are used with embodimentsof the present invention, including credit card type scanners that readthe magnetic stripe (or strip) on the back on the card, optical scannersthat read bar codes like a UPC code or 2D bar code like on some statedriver's licenses, and optical scanners that digitize images such ascommercially available business card scanners. As technology changesother scanners will become available and will be incorporated to readthe new media. Specifically, in point-of-sale applications, a magneticstrip reader can be used to capture credit card information for creditcard transactions. With increasing legal requirements, picture ID isoften required and the optical scanner(s) can record a picture ID. Inthe future, driver's license requirements may be superceded by the needto verify passports and/or national ID cards.

A driver's license scanner is configured in one embodiment to retain theuser's driver's license or other ID until the end of the session. Thisprovides useful to force the consumer to authenticate electronicallythat a receipt was received, that required notices explaining why creditwas denied were supplied, etc.

Optical Document Scanner: An optical document scanner is a device usedfor scanning sheets of paper and converting them to digital images, andmay be used in embodiments of the present invention. There are two broadclasses of optical document scanners: paper-port scanners, with whichdocuments are moved across stationary scanning components to perform ascan, and flat-bed scanners, where the scanner components move acrossthe stationary document to perform the scan. A paper port scanner iscompact device that scans a sheet of paper by pulling the sheet acrossan optical scanning mechanism. Paper port scanners are thus moreintegrateable than large flat-bed type scanners. However, flat-bedscanners are nonetheless compatible for use. These digital images can bestored as is and/or converted into text using optical characterrecognition (OCR) algorithms or machine readable formats are read suchas barcodes or other machine coding. A paper port scanner is a type ofoptical scanner that is commercially available for use with personalcomputers. A paper port scanner can be incorporated internally orexternally in various embodiments of the ECDU and is useful fordigitizing handwritten credit applications, pay stubs, checks, taxdocuments, rental or lease agreements, utility bills for proof ofresidence purposes, or various financial documents. Scanners areavailable from Visioneer, Inc. of Pleasanton, Calif. 94588(www.visioneer.com).Scanning Pen: A scanning pen is a device used to capture a user'shandwritten responses, selections and input. Scanning pens are wellknown in the art and are commercially available as peripherals for PCsfrom manufacturers such as Logitech Incorporated, which manufactures theio2 scanning pen, and which is located at 6505 Kaiser Drive, Fremont,Calif., 94555, USA. In one embodiment of the ECDU, a scanning pen isused to digitize the consumer's handwritten data entered ontotraditional paper based forms such as credit applications, printedcontracts and other disclosures that include special location codes. Thecaptured data may include all types of data entry from handwrittenentries (such as address and phone numbers), menu selections (such aspackage selection), user signatures and interactive commands (such asrequests for glossary definition, help, or informational videos, etc.).After a consumer completes a form, the consumer's digitized handwrittenresponses can then be transmitted to the ECDU using several differenttechniques, such as a scanning pen docking port or a wireless interface.Multiple scanning pens are used in one embodiment, such as one for theconsumer, one for the business employee, and even special purpose pensfor highlighting, etc. To prevent loss or theft, scanning pens can betethered to the ECDU or to a clipboard in one embodiment. In oneembodiment, a slide mechanism is incorporated in the tethering means, toallow the position of the scanning pen to shift between a position idealfor right-handed users and another position ideal for left-handed users.The tether is further constructed using a spring-loaded,position-locking mechanism.

Scanning pens in one embodiment, relay captured handwritten responsesand selections via a buffered batch interface (using the dockingstation) or in near real-time using a wireless or wired interface. Awired scanning pen interface also serves the dual-purpose as a tether toprevent loss or theft. Real time use of the scanning pens, via wirelessor wired interfaces, enables an interactive combination of scanning penand ECDU functionality. For example, the user selecting a specialinformational video with the scanning pen can cause the ECDU to displaya multimedia informational video that, for example, explains a productor service in more depth. Scanning pens using a batch mode dockingstation interface indicate to the user via vibration, chirping, or someother fashion that the pen requires placement in the docking station.

Enhanced scanning pens are used in one embodiment by includingadditional ECDU components. For example, biometric fingerprint readerscan be included for user authentication, a camera can be included tophotograph session participants and setting, a microphone to recordverbal discussion/navigation, a speaker to provide audio prompting, abiofeedback sensor to sense user state-of-mind, an accelerometer torecord gestures and motion, etc. The capabilities of the auxiliaryfunctions are each discussed at length below. The electronics in thescanning pen can study the device data in real time for feedback andcommunication to the ECDU.

Multi-function scanning pens can be constructed in a double ended formin one embodiment. One end is for writing and the other end is forwhiteout or highlight (selectable with a mode switch). If the whiteoutmode is selected, then using the other end of the pen can simultaneouslydispense physical whiteout while digitally recording that the user waswhiting out (possibly erasing a previous entry). If the highlight modeis selected, then using the other end can simultaneously effect aphysical highlighter (typical colors are bright yellow or green) whiledigitally recording the location of the highlight. This digitalrecording of whiting out and/or highlighting can be reflected in theECDU session log. A single ended embodiment can be used with a functionswitch to change the mode from writing, to help mode, to erasing, tohighlighting. In help mode, the pen state relays the next documentlocation scanned to the ECDU for a help response. The response might bea glossary lookup or an informational video depending on context.

Special Location Coded Forms: The scanning pens discussed above requiredocuments that include special embedded location codes. These locationcodes are patterns of small symbols (e.g. dots) printed on the page. Inone embodiment of the present invention, the dot pattern and encodingtechnology of Anoto Group AB, located in Sweden (www.anoto.com) can beutilized. These patterns are codes read by the scanning pens. Some codesare coordinates on the page, while other codes are special purpose (e.g.action triggers). In the ECDU, these triggers can be used to requestfurther information, help, glossary lookup, navigation, etc.Specifically, the Anoto dot pattern may be printed on a creditapplication, menuing area, signoff sheets, contracts and disclosures, orpolicies to enable the scanning pen to record handwritten responses(signatures, form data, selection, interactive requests, etc.).Digitizer Grid: A digitizer grid also known simply as a digitizer is adevice for capturing the location of a stylus pen within the grid. Ingeneral, there are two main approaches: passive digitizing and activedigitizing. In active digitizing, the stylus contains electronics aswell as the sensor grid, whereas in passive digitizing, only the sensorgrid contains electronics. One embodiment uses an active,electromagnetic digitizer and compatible stylus. Electromagneticdigitizers useable with a stylus are available from WACOM TechnologyCorporation, located at 1311 SE Cardinal Court, Vancouver, Wash. 98683,USA (www.wacom.com).

An alternate embodiment uses an ultrasonic digitizer controller sensorand corresponding ultrasonic stylus. The ultrasonic digitizer controllersensor determines the location of the ultrasonic stylus pen bycalculating the location changes in terms of sound. These components areavailable from Pegasus Technologies LTS of Azoor, Israel(www.pegatech.com).

Other passive digitizing technologies are used in other embodiments.These technologies comprise infrared technology, near-field imagingtechnology, and capacitive technology.

Wireless Unit: The wireless unit provides ECDU connectivity in oneembodiment to other computers or the internet without the need for adirect wire connection. Wireless units are available as adapters (e.g.PCMCIA cards) or incorporated into the system. The ECDU connectivityincludes audio, visual, data, and information exchange. For example, theECDU exchanges contract and disclosures with connecting systems andprovides video conferencing services, etc.Printer: A printer is a device for outputting information on paperincluding both human and machine readable forms like bar codes andlocation coding dots. Printers are commercially available using multipletechnologies; e.g., laser, ink-jet, and impact printers. The printer canbe used to generate a hardcopy of a contract and disclosure for the userin this invention. The printer also can print on blank paper orpreprinted paper forms. All paper can include the embedded coordinatecodes or be printed on-the-fly by the printer. The hardcopy can includeECDU session recorded information; e.g. signatures, fingerprints, timestamps, pictures, etc. The printer can be internal or externallyconnected in various embodiments. External printers include thoseavailable via connectivity (i.e. LAN connected printers or systems withprinters). In addition, the printer may print a machine readabledocument ID code onto printed pages.Document ID Reader: A document ID reader is electronic device forreading machine readable codes or ID that identifies documents and/orunique dot papers. Electronic ID readers are commercially available;e.g. laser barcode scanners, RFID scanners, digital camera, etc. In oneembodiment, the document ID reader is placed on/near the printer and thereader records the ID of each document as it is printed. In anotherembodiment, the document ID reader is on the ECDU digitizer units forcapturing the document ID during use.CD/DVD Reader/Writer: A CD/DVD Reader/Writer is a device that retrievesor stores data from or to disk media, respectively. Current disk formatsinclude CD or DVD format. This reader/writer can be used to provide theuser with an archival, electronic copy of the ECDU session. This diskalso can include software to allow the user to review the ECDU sessionin a like format on his/her personal equipment (e.g. home PC). Thissoftware can mimic the graphical, video, and audio outputs of ECDUdevice that existed during the user ECDU session, with the full suite ofinteractive, help, language, glossary, and tools being made available,as well.External Memory Port: An external memory port is a device fortransferring data to or from external memory devices. For example, thiscan be a multi-format flash-memory media reader/writer. Also, generalpurpose USB ports can be used in one embodiment to interface with USBmemory sticks and hard drives. This external memory port can be used toprovide the user with an archival electronic copy of the contract anddisclosure information. The external memory devices also can includesoftware to allow the user to review the ECDU session in a like formaton his/her personal equipment (e.g. home PC). This software can mimicthe graphical, video and audio outputs of ECDU device as they existedduring the user's ECDU session, with the complete availability of thefull suite of interactive, help, language, glossary, and tools, etc.Universal Port: A universal port is a general purpose I/O communicationport. Standards in electronic and personal equipment change quickly; forexample, serial & parallel ports, infrared, USB ports, fire-wire, USBversion 2.0, etc. Over time, specific technology may change, but thepurpose of the universal port will remain in various embodiments of theinvention. For example, the universal port can allow a user to have anarchival, electronic copy conveyed to his personal electronic device.Examples of these devices include PDAs, laptops, cell phones, IPODs, MP3players, etc.Docking Port: A docking port provides multiple services in oneembodiment of the present invention. These services include wiredconnectivity to other computer systems and the internet, power foroperation and battery charging, physical storage of the ECDU, and wiredconnections to additional peripherals.Battery: A battery is a device that supplies stored electrical power.The ECDU and connected peripherals can draw power from the batteryincluded in the ECDU in various embodiments. The battery is chargedusing external power sources, wired or wireless.Encryption Unit: An encryption unit is a hardware device or softwareprocess used to encrypt and decrypt data. Typically, public or privatekey algorithms are utilized. An encryption unit can be integrated intoone embodiment of the ECDU, and the encryption unit can be implementedin hardware or software. Hardware encryption units may be faster atperforming encryption and decryption, while software units may have theadvantage of lower cost. Hardware encryption units are commerciallyavailable in form factors that include PCMCIA cards. Additionally,hardware encryption avoids one of the major weaknesses of software basedapproaches; i.e. that passwords or keys can be copied or given away.Encryption products are available from CopyTele, Inc of Melville, N.Y.11747 (www.copytele.com).Software: The ECDU contains software for low level device control,operating system software for controlling the ECDU, and applicationsoftware for performing the functionality of the electronic contractdisclosure. The software components are shown in the software componentdiagram FIG. 3. The application can run as a stand-alone application onthe ECDU devices, a personal computer, and/or as a web application inwhole or in part.

The various software components in embodiments of the ECDU includes:

-   -   Operating system (OS)    -   Interpreter (e.g. Browser)    -   POS application (e.g. F&I)    -   Device drivers and software (e.g. Tablet Display, Stylus Pen        Software, Video conferencing)    -   Scanning pens (e.g. handwriting capture, form data conversion to        text, data & signature merging with forms)        Authentication Code Generator: The ECDU also contains an        authentication code generator. An authentication code generator        is a method or technique of reducing data to a small        representative code that may serve as a digital fingerprint of        the data. This generator or function can be applied at any time        to the data and will generate the same code. Comparison of codes        yields a method authentication. Simplest examples include file        size and creation date. More complex examples are checksums,        cryptographic hash functions, and the like. Currently two        popular hash functions are MD5 and SHA1.

ECDU Embodiments

Specific embodiments of the invention incorporating some or all of thecomponents discussed above will now be disclosed in detail. Oneembodiment of the ECDU is shown in FIG. 4. As shown in the figure, theECDU of this embodiment is a hand held, portable device. This embodimentincludes all of the ECDU functionality shown in FIG. 1 and describedbriefly above.

The ECDU shown in FIG. 4 comprises a book sized unit that has roundedhandles 80 on its sides. These handles serve multiple functions,including the obvious function of physical support, but alsoincorporated into the handles 80 are bio feedback sensors 21. The biofeedback sensors 21, as discussed above, monitor a user's state of mindvia blood pressure, pulse, etc. The ECDU is constructed using acase/housing 22 that carries components of the ECDU and providessurfaces on which these components are accessible. Alternately, the ECDUcan be embedded into desk, larger size version, or other object.

The majority of the frontal area in this embodiment is used for thetablet display 23. The tablet display 23 is used to display contractsand disclosures to users. The graphical features of the tablet displayinclude color, blinking, etc., which are used to emphasize importantinformation to the user. In concert with the stylus pens 24 and 26, thetablet display 23 is also used to capture the user's signature both forcompleting contracts and disclosures and as an additional biometricinput for authentication and/or acceptance.

Around the periphery of the tablet display are located auxiliaryinput/output devices. Below the tablet display are located twofingerprint readers 27 and 28. In operation, these fingerprint readersare used to record a user's agreement or disagreement with contracts andspecific disclosure terms.

Above the fingerprint readers in one embodiment are decision labels 29and 30. These labels indicate the function of their associatedfingerprint reader. These labels are either fixed or electronicallychangeable depending on the embodiment. Further, around each fingerprintreader is placed an illuminated ring (31, 32) and/or an LED (33, 34).The illuminated ring and/or LED is illuminated to indicate that thefingerprint readers are active and ready for use. For example, in oneembodiment, the illuminated ring and LED of the “Agree” fingerprintreader is green, and those for the “Disagree” fingerprint reader arered, as discussed in more detail below.

Between the two fingerprint readers (27, 28) is an embedded microphone36. In use, the microphone 36 is invaluable in recording the user'svoice for authentication and other voices (e.g. business employees) andsurrounding sounds, for verbal navigation, and also as a part of thevideo conferencing capability of the ECDU.

Along the side of the tablet display are five buttons 37 in oneembodiment. These buttons are used for user input selection. Moreover,the functionality of these buttons preferably is context sensitive, withthe context dependent functions being displayed to the left of eachbutton on the tablet display. Five buttons 37 are shown for clarity, butmore or less could easily be deployed. If required for data entry, avirtual keyboard can be rendered on the tablet display.

Above the reconfigurable buttons is the stylus pen attachment point 165.Because the tablet display and stylus pen are used in concert to captureuser signatures, etc., the pen preferably is tethered to the ECDU with atether 38 to prevent loss. A stylus storage slot 39 is shown at the topright of the ECDU. This storage slot is used to hold the stylus penbetween usage sessions. The tethered stylus pen in one embodiment isused by a consumer during an ECDU session.

The second stylus pen 26 is used by the employee of the business in oneembodiment of the ECDU. The ECDU can distinguish between inputs from thevarious stylus pens. Specifically, in one embodiment, the ECDU will logthe inputs of each stylus pen. Also, the ECDU can restrict the actionsof each stylus pen, such that, for instance, only the consumer styluspen 24 will be allowed to sign the contract and only the businessemployee stylus pen 26 will be allowed to navigate, flip the display.While multiple stylus pens are used in one embodiment, the ECDU canfully function with a single stylus pen.

Also located on the right in one embodiment is the scanning pen dockingport 41. A scanning pen 42, as discussed above, is a device used tocapture a user's handwritten responses. In one embodiment of the ECDU,the scanning pen 42 is used to digitize the consumer's handwritten data.After a consumer completes a form, the consumer's digitized handwritingis then transmitted to the ECDU using one or more of several differenttechniques, such as a scanning pen docking port 41 or a wirelessinterface. After the pen 42 is used to fill out a form, the pen is thenplaced in the scanning pen docking port 41 to transfer the capturedhandwriting to the corresponding electronic form. The scanning pen 42 isshown on the far right hand side on FIG. 4. In alternate embodiments,the pens are wireless, and the docking station is useful for rechargingand to insure the pen is returned.

In the top right of the ECDU is an embedded speaker 43. The embeddedspeaker 43 provides the ECDU the capability to use audio prompting ofquestions, to read screens in single or multiple languages to users, andalso as a part of the video conferencing capability. Also, the speakercan provide audio feedback on selections and play audio for informationvideos and advertisements. The speaker is driven using an audioamplifier 44 to provide a strong audio output.

At the top center of the ECDU is an embedded camera 46. The camera isused to record single frame or multi-frame (video) pictures of a userduring authentication and/or to record visually the whole session. Forexample, the user's photo can be taken during signature capture andfingerprint authentication events. Moreover, the entire session can berecorded as a movie using the multi-frame capability (video).

In the top left of the ECDU is the embedded wireless unit 47 of oneembodiment. Typically, wireless units consist of an embedded chipset andantenna elements. The wireless unit provides connectivity to neighboringsystems during the ECDU session. For example, user selections during theECDU session may require retrieval of additional disclosure forms, andthe wireless unit can provide this connectivity.

Located behind the speaker 43 is an optical scanner 48 in oneembodiment. For example, the optical scanner 48 is suitable for scanningdrivers' licenses. Automatically scanning a driver's license, militaryID, government ID, national ID, passport or ID in general and is usefulfor accurately and efficiently capturing the user's name/address/etc.

Located in the top left corner is a magnetic card reader 49 in oneembodiment. For example, the magnetic card reader 49 is suitable forreading credit card information. Point-of-sale (POS) applicationsusually require the capability to read credit card information and/orIDs.

Located at the top of the ECDU, in one embodiment, is an opticaldocument (e.g. paper port) scanner 51. The optical document scanner 51is used for digitizing handwritten credit applications and/or digitizingother consumer supplied financial documents. Eliminating the costlyre-typing of handwritten applications as well as eliminating papercopies of consumer financial documents are important aspects of theECDU.

In one embodiment, an encryption unit 52 is located on the left sidetowards the top. The encryption unit 52 is a device that performs publicand/or private key encryption of data. The protection of a consumer'sfinancial data is an important benefit provided by the ECDU.

Also located on the left side is the GPS unit 53 in one embodiment. TheGPS unit 53 is used to provide ECDU location information. For example,accurate location information is used to document legal jurisdictionduring contract execution, prevent use at non-allowed locations, detectlost or stolen units, and to help to detect fraud in one embodiment.

Below the GPS unit 53 in one embodiment is the motion detector 54. Themotion detector 54 is used to determine if the ECDU is being used or hasbeen left idle. Idle units can automatically be logged off to preventunauthorized access to sensitive data, such as a consumer's financialdata.

Inside the ECDU of one embodiment, shown as dashed lines in the centerof FIG. 4, is a controller 56. The controller 56 is the electronic brainthat runs the ECDU. The controller is typically a micro-controller ormicroprocessor based system such as used in a PC or PDA. Also, thememory system 57, including stored software, is indicated using a dashedline in FIG. 4. The memory system consists of the both volatile (e.g.,RAM) and non-volatile storage (e.g. hard drive, flash etc.). The ECDUsoftware that the controller executes is stored in this memory systemand/or may be web based.

Also inside the ECDU, shown as a dashed line in the bottom right of FIG.4, is the battery system 58. The battery system 58 is used to power theECDU during normal operation. The battery system is sized to allow theECDU to operate for a sufficient time interval to allow one or morecomplete ECDU assisted transactions to be completed between recharging.The battery system 58 is recharged via the docking port connector 59shown on the bottom edge in the center. The docking cradle, shown inFIG. 29, will be discussed below. Alternately, the ECDU can be rechargeddirectly from a wired connection instead of a cradle. In one embodiment,the recharging is performed using a wireless approach, shown in FIG. 18.

Located along the bottom edge of the ECDU are various input-output (IO)ports. From left to right these are audio jack 61 and microphone jacks62, external memory (memory stick) reader/writer 63, USB ports 64,external keyboard jack 66, PCMCIA card port 59, docking port 68, CD/DVDreader/writer 69, and input power Jack 68.

In one embodiment, the printer 71 is integrated into the bottom of theECDU. The printer 71 provides the capability to generate hardcopies ofthe contract and disclosures. Also, the ECDU can print to other externalprinters connected to the ECDU or available on a connected network.Stylus pen capture technology 72 (for example the digitizer of thetablet display) is embedded in or behind the screen of the ECDU and thecontroller 56 is provided with an electronic serial number 73, forpurposes described in more detail below. A reception power unit 74 andsecondary coil 76 also preferably are provided

FIG. 4 describes one embodiment based on dual fingerprint readers 27 and28. In other ECDU embodiments only one or no fingerprint readers areused. These alternate embodiments are based on separating the acceptanceand authentication functions. For example, a consumer can indicateacceptance using actual or virtual buttons, typical windows navigationtechniques, signature or initials capture, etc. The authenticationfunction can be implemented using a single fingerprint reader, orreplaced by one or more other observables such as the consumersphotograph captured by the camera, the consumers signature and/orinitials captured by the tablet, the recorded consumers voice using themicrophone, etc.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment based on two physical decisionbuttons 82 and 83. The two decision buttons 82 and 83 are located at thelocations of the missing fingerprint readers. The decision buttons aresurrounded by indicator lights. Alternatively, the decision buttons canbe illuminated buttons.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative embodiment based on a single fingerprintreader 88 and virtual decision buttons 86, 87. The virtual decisionbuttons are located in the bottom corners of the display 23 and a singlefingerprint reader 88 is located below the tablet display 23. Anilluminated ring 89 surrounds the fingerprint reader 88 in thisembodiment to indicate when the reader is active and waiting for input.In one embodiment, the color of the illumination of the ring iscoordinated with the virtual decision. For example, if the virtualacceptance button is selected the illuminated ring 89 will be green andif the decline virtual button was selected it will be illuminated red.Additionally, LED 90 provides a similar visual indication as describedfor the illuminated ring 89. In use, the consumer could be prompted toswipe the fingerprint reader after selecting either virtual decisionbutton to authenticate his selection and confirm his identity as theindividual making the selection.

FIG. 7 shows the separate display and signature block ECDU embodiment.The ECDU shown in FIG. 7 shares nearly all of the components discussedabove in FIG. 4 with the exception of the tablet display. In this secondembodiment, the display is a non-tablet display 96. Adigitizer/signature pad 91 is incorporated between fingerprint readers27 and 28 to record pen input; e.g., record user signatures. Thenon-tablet display 96 still contains the graphical capabilities; e.g.,color, blinking, etc., used to emphasize important information. Otherpen input devices are used in substitution for the embodiments describedabove (e.g. RF pens that capture handwriting using special grid paper).Other alternate embodiments include use of touch screens such as thosefound on PDAs, to include signature functionality in the screen or as asmall auxiliary screen.

FIG. 8 shows a tablet PC based ECDU embodiment. This embodiment is basedon building an ECDU from a commercially available tablet PC and usingexternal hardware devices (e.g., camera and fingerprint readers) toimplement ECDU functionalities that are not available in the marketedtablet PCs.

Specifically, FIG. 8 shows how, in this embodiment, an ECDU frame 97 isplaced around a commercially available tablet PC 98 in apicture-frame-like-manner. This ECDU frame 97 contains the requiredadditional ECDU functionalities. This ECDU frame is an adjustable,plastic (or other material; e.g. aluminum) frame that fits snugglyaround the tablet PC 98. Embedded into this frame are USB based devices.In situations where the number of USB devices exceeds the number ofavailable USB ports, a USB hub 99 is incorporated into the ECDU frame.The ECDU frame contains channels or ducts 101 for routing the variousUSB cables from the devices to the hub and from the hub to the USB ports102 on the tablet PC. Alternately, printed circuit boards can be used toreplace the various USB cables 105, and/or components.

Located in the bottom portion of the ECDU frame are two fingerprintreaders 27 and 28. These are USB based devices that are connected viathe USB hub to the tablet PC. These fingerprint readers are used tovalidate agreement and disagreement as discussed above. In addition,these fingerprint readers are used to capture the ID of the parties.

Located at the bottom left corner of the ECDU frame is the bio feedbacksensor 103. This sensor can be a pulse/heart rate type sensor that iscommonly incorporated into exercise equipment. For clarity, only theconnections of the fingerprint readers to the USB hub is shown; however,the majority of devices located in the ECDU frame preferably connectedto the tablet PC via the USB hub.

Located at the top of the ECDU frame is an USB based camera 46. Thiscamera is a USB based webcam capable of both single frame andmulti-frame (movie) capture. Located at the top right is a magnetic cardreader 49 suitable for reading credit cards. Located at the top left isan external speaker 43. This speaker can be connected to the tablet PCvia the audio amplifier and external speaker jacks on the tablet PC. Thespeaker 43 is driven using an audio amplifier with accessible volumecontrols 104.

On the left side of the ECDU frame, a large opening is provided to allowthe CD/DVD 69 of the tablet PC 98 to be useable with the ECDU frameinstalled. On the right side, the stylus pen 24 is tethered to preventloss of the stylus. Also, a stylus storage slot 39 is provided in thetop right corner. Other openings are provided to allow access to otherports/devices on the enclosed tablet PC 98.

The frame 97 is constructed with an adjustable overlap 106 for capturingthe tablet PC 98 and a power switch 107 is provided in the frame, as isa microphone 36 and air vents 108. Glide/brake units 109 are provided inthe frame for allowing the frame 97 to slide easily on a surface whendesired but to be firmly anchored when sliding is not desired. These aredetailed below. The frame can incorporate a deployable stand 111 ifdesired to tilt the ECDU upward at an angle.

Another embodiment of an ECDU is shown in FIGS. 104 and 105.Specifically, FIG. 104 shows how, in this embodiment, an ECDU frame top406 is placed around a commercially available tablet display 424 in apicture-frame-like-manner, while FIG. 105 shows the frame bottom 441that is attached to the bottom of the frame top. The frame top 406 isformed to cover and surround the tablet display 424 while providing anopening to allow interaction with the screen of the tablet display 424.The outer sides of the frame top are formed to create outer supportwalls 412 for an internal cavity. A rubber gasket 433 is fitted to theunderside of the frame top to seal the display surface to the bottom ofthe frame top 406. Four inner support brackets 418 surround the displayon all four sides. These brackets are designed and located so that theydo not impede the cooling vents 434 of the tablet display 424. Thebrackets 418 are fastened to the frame top and adjusted such the framefits snug and is aligned to and surrounds the tablet display 424. Thedisplay clamps 409 are fastened to the frame top 406 and are shaped andplaced to minimize impact on the display vents while holding the tabletdisplay 424 to the frame top securely. This is accomplished bycontouring the profile of the clamps 409 to match closely the profile ofthe tablet display case. The four inner brackets 418 and the frame top406 form an internal cavity or channel or duct 431 for housingelectronics and routing wires. The ECDU electronics mounted in thechannel 431 include the two speakers 419, the two microphones 417, thefour fingerprint readers 407, 413, 426, and 428, and the ECDU controller422. In one embodiment, the ECDU controller 422 is a device controller;i.e. a USB device controller/hub. In another embodiment, the ECDUcontroller 422 is a computer or microcontroller with associatedperipheral components configured for basic operation. In addition, theframe top 406 has aperture openings for electronic devices to beaccessed from the top surface; i.e. speakers, microphones, fingerprintreaders, etc. The frame bottom 441, shown in FIG. 105, is fastened tothe inner support brackets 418 and to the outer support walls 412 withscrews and press nuts 414, completing or closing the channel or duct431, utilizing fastener holes 443 and 444. In addition, the frame bottom441 has ventilation holes 442 appropriately placed to allow for aircirculation. Rubber feet 416 are placed on the back of the tabletdisplay 424. A swing arm camera (not shown) can be mounted to the topsurface of the frame as described above respect to other embodiments.Also shown in FIG. 104 is wire harness 408, mounting nuts 423, cableharness 427, internal wiring harness 429, and display cable channel 432.

Alternatively, the frame may be constructed from two clamshell pieces ofinjection-molded plastic or metal, shown in FIG. 9. The two pieces, thetop shell 116 and bottom shell 117, preferably mount around the tabletPC 98 enclosing the tablet PC 98 except for the tablet screen surfaceand small opening for cables and external devices. The connected twopieces form an internal cavity for mounting the external devices androuting the wires. The bottom shell 117 has one or more verticalalignment brackets 118 and one or more horizontal alignment brackets 119to ensure the tablet PC 98 is properly alignment to the rest of theclamshell. The bottom shell holds the frame power supply and devicecontroller 121, one or more cameras 46, one or more speakers 43, thedual fingerprint readers 27 and 28, one or more LEDs 33, 34, themicrophone 36, power connector or jack 68, and cooling fan 122. Alongone or more edges of the bottom shell 117 are fastening tabs 123 thatare used with the fastener 124 to secure the top shell 116 to the bottomshell 117. In addition, the top shell 116 contains one or more openingscalled the display aperture 126, the camera aperture 127, speakeraperture 128, the biometric aperture 129, the microphone aperture 131and LED aperture 132. These apertures are aligned with the placement ofthe corresponding device in the bottom shell 117. Located on the outersurface of the top shell 116 are one or more cushion wrist supports 133and the decision labels 29 and 30. Located near the perimeter of eachaperture on the top sheet 116 is a rubber seal 135 to seal the framefrom liquids.

In fact, a physical frame is not actually required. The various devicesand wires can be taped or glued to the tablet PC 98. Even the USB hubthat is needed when more devices than ports exist can be simply taped orglued to the tablet PC 98. However, the reliability, security andappearance of exposed wires and devices is less preferred.

Also, further embodiments are configured. For example, modular plug-inassemblies of external devices needed to configure an ECDU areconstructed and attached to an available tablet PC 98. These externaldevices can be group into one or more stand-alone units 246 (alsoreferred to as Peripheral Unit) that attach to the tablet PC 98 via USB,IR, wireless, etc.

FIG. 10 shows another alternate ECDU 10 embodiment. In this embodiment,the camera 141 is placed on a camera swing arm 142 that allows thecamera to pivot thorough a range of look angles. When the swing arm 142is fully deployed, the camera is directed down at the surface of theECDU to image and digitize paper documents placed on the ECDU within thedocument digitizing area 145. A camera angle adjustment 147 is providedto adjust the camera look angle When the swing arm 142 is stored in thestorage slot 143, the camera rests on the camera automatic angleadjuster 144 that ensures that the camera is pointing in thepredetermined direction. In addition, as shown at the top of the ECDUdisplay, a portion of the display is constructed with a view filter 146to allow viewing from only a restricted range of viewing angles.Typically, this range of angles is set from the dealership employee'sdirection and thus the ECDU shows sensitive information, e.g. profit,rates, private messages, etc in this region when disclosure to thecustomer is not desired. In one embodiment, this view filter is anopaque material in a fence-like configuration. In another embodiment,this view filter is constructed from optical materials that only allowlight to pass in specific directions. In yet another embodiment, thewhole ECDU display is constructed from dual view material (e.g. SharpDual-View LCD) such that each participant (e.g. dealership employee andcustomer) is presented with unique images from the same screen fromdifferent view angles.

The embodiment of the ECDU in FIG. 10 is configured differently thanprior embodiments and includes a personal computer (PC) 148, a documentID reader 149, and an external camera 151, all discussed above. An ECDUwireless keyboard 152 is shown for additional method of entering datainto the ECDU 10. A light 153 illuminates documents for imaging by thecamera 141 and a wireless power unit 154 is provided in the ECDU 10.FIG. 10 also depicts the coded document paper 156 (discussed above) foruse with the scanning pen 42.

FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of an ECDU station 12 made up of severalcomponents or devices as shown in the figure. A retractable harness orcable assembly 161 is placed on the surface of the desk 162. Thisassembly contains a retracting mechanism for retracting the harness 161into the assembly housing. Also, the assembly rotates on its base oranchoring plate 163 by means of a rotating connectivity hub 164 tominimize cable clutter. The anchoring plate 163 is attached to the desk162 using the attachment points 165. The anchoring plate of the assemblyand the desktop surface are protected by a cover pad 166. In addition toprotecting the surface, the cover pad 166 also contains one or morecable raceways 167 for routing the various cables to/from theretractable cable assembly. The cover pad 166 is constructed from anelectrostatic discharge material (ESD). The cable raceways preferablyare formed as a hidden channel 168, an exposed channel 169, a duct 171,and/or a slit 172, as shown in FIG. 12. Also, the cover pad 166 containsone or more transparent insert areas 173 where inserts (e.g. brochuresor advertisements) can be placed and viewed. The ECDU 10 contains one ormore glide/brake assemblies 109 to allow the ECDU to slide easily aroundthe cover pad between participants and to resist motion during ECDUusage. The printer 71 has an output paper tray 174 and an outputdocument ID reader 176 for reading a coded ID on an output document. ThePC 148 has a power cable 177 and an Ethernet communications cable 178.FIG. 13 shows one embodiment of a glide/brake assembly 109. The outerring, the glide member 181 (also known as a slider), provides a lowfriction surface. At the end of the actuated plunger 182 is a plungergripper 183 which provides a high friction surface (e.g. rubber). Theglide brake assembly 109 has a housing 184 that can be mounted by aflange 186 and that defuses a plunger cavity 187 within which theplunger 182 moves. An actuator 188 and associated wiring 189 can beengaged to extend the plunger when it is desired to anchor the ECDU. Anaccess cover 191 provides access to the actuator and plunger. Theglide/brake assembly uses an electric actuator 188 to deploy or retractthe plunger 182. In one embodiment, the actuator is an electricalsolenoid with spring. When it is desired to anchor the ECDU, the plungeris extended to engage the surface on which the ECDU sits to providefrictional resistance to movement of the ECDU. The forgoing descriptionincludes both a glide member for easy sliding movement of the ECDU and agripper for selectively anchoring the ECDU. Of course, the ECDU can beprovided with only the gliding function and not the gripping function.In such an embodiment, a tether or harness (e.g. 161 in FIG. 11) mightfunction to limit motion of the ECDU. FIG. 14 shows an alternateglide/brake assembly embodiment. In this alternate embodiment, the ECDUglides easily when the plunger is retracted, but when the plunger 182 isengaged, the plunger gripper 183 provides high friction to retard anyrotation of the roller ball 196 within the roller cover 197 thusresisting motion of the ECDU. The roller ball 196 is also constructedfrom a high friction material to prevent slippage when the roller ballis braked.

FIG. 15 shows another alternate embodiment of glide/brake assembly. Inthis alternate embodiment, the ECDU is mounted to one or more of thesecaster wheel based glide/brake units via the mounting flange 186. Themounting flange 201 is located at the top of the glide/brake housing184. The weight on the ECDU is supported by one or more springs 203 whenthe unit is not being used allowing the ECDU to move easily via thecaster wheels 204. The Caster swivel plate 205 is attached to the casterplate 206 with the caster bearing bracket 207. The caster swivel plate205 allows the unit to easily rotate. When a user begins to use theECDU, for example, using the stylus to make selections, the extra weightof the user compresses the springs 203 resulting in the caster wheel 204moving up into the glide/brake housing 202. The alignment guide 208ensures that the caster wheel maintains the proper orientation duringspring compression changes. When the caster wheels 204 are retracted,the gripper 209 engages the surface of the desk or table. The gripper209 is a high friction material that prevents the ECDU from movingduring usage.

FIG. 16 shows another embodiment of an ECDU station 12 with a T-slotmember 210. A T-Slot groove assembly 211 is placed on the surface of thedesk 162. The T-slot 212 in concert with the T-slider 213 provides oneaxis of motion. The Outer Slide member or carriage 214 is attached tothe T-Slider 213 at a pivot joint 216. The ECDU 10 is attached to theinner slide member 217. The inner slide member 217 in concert with theouter slide member 214 gives a second axis of motion. The pivot joint216 allows the outer member to rotate 360 degrees about the T-slider 213providing additional freedom of motion. The T-Slot groove assemblymounting flange 218 and top surface of the desk 162 are protected with acover pad 166. The cover pad contains cable raceways 167. T-slot stops219 limit movement of the slider in the lateral direction 221. The ECDU10 can move in a transverse direction 222 and can rotate in an angulardirection 223. A wireless adaptor 224 provides internet connectivity.

FIG. 17 shows the details of the T-slot 212, T-slider 213 and T-stop219. The T-stop 219 is used to stop the T-slider 213 from exiting theT-Slot 212. The T-slot is constructed from an insulating material andelectrical spring rails 227, 228 are used to transfer power to theT-slider 213. For example, one rail is ground and the other rail ispower. The T-slider 213 is also constructed from insulating material andhas electrical rails 229, 231 for receiving power from the T-slot.Surfaces of T-slider 213 are made of or coated with low frictionmaterial to enable ease of motion. Again, one rail is ground and theother rail is power. The rails are connected to circular contacts 232,233 surrounding the pivot joint 234 to transfer power to the slidemembers. Similarly, the outer slide member contains electrical springrails, and the inner slide member contains electrical rails forreceiving the power for transfer to the ECDU via a cable.

FIG. 18 shows another embodiment of an ECDU station 12. The top surfaceof the desk 162 is covered by the overlay unit 236. The overlay unit 236contains one or more inductive primary coils 237 of wire that arepowered from an external power supply in the overlay controller 238,which also has input power 239 and Ethernet connections 240. The ECDU 10contains a secondary coil 76 of wire and the power reception unit 74.The primary 237 creates an alternating magnetic field that transferspower to the secondary coil 76 which is converted to DC power by thepower reception unit 74 to power and/or recharge the ECDU unit. Togetherthe secondary coil 76 and the power reception unit 74 form a wirelesspower unit 154 (363 in FIGS. 30 and 31). This primary/secondary coilconfiguration is, in effect, a functional open air transformer. Theoverlay unit also contains a wireless communication device 241 andassociated Ethernet connection 240 for enabling ECDU connectivity toperipherals and/or the Internet. This device may be a wireless Ethernetprotocol, Bluetooth or a similar short range wireless communicationapproach. The overlay unit also contains cable raceways 167 for routingcables to the embedded primary coils and to the wireless communicationdevice. The overlay controller 238 contains electronic circuitry tomonitor periodically the impedance of the primary power coils to sensethe presence of an ECDU within an active zone 242, and thus provide fullpower only when an ECDU is present, and to enable the short rangecommunication unit only when ECDUs are present. This smart monitoringleads to power savings, and to enhanced data security. The overlay unitalso contains insert areas where advertisements, brochures, etc aredisplayed. Coded document paper 156 and scanning pen 42 also can be usedin an active zone 242. More than one active zone 242 is provided for theECDU to be moved to other locations on the top of the desk 162. Theseactive zones are preferably visually outlined 244 on the surface of thedesk 162.

FIG. 19 shows another ECDU embodiment. In this embodiment, acommercially available tablet PC 98 with power switch 247 is connectedto a stand-alone unit 246 that contains the additional required ECDUdevices such as biometric fingerprint readers 27 and 28 with anilluminated rings 31 and 32 and decision labels 29 and 30, microphone(s)36, speaker(s) 43, camera(s) 46, scanning pen port(s) 41, wireless unit47, internal optical scanners and internal controller. The stand-aloneunit 246 is connected to the tablet via a communications interface 258which can be any appropriate interface including USB, IR, wirednetworking, wireless networking, etc. The inclusion of both the tabletPC 98 and the one or more scanning pens 42 allows tremendous flexibilityin the ECDU session. The user can complete the ECDU session usingscreens on the tablet PC and/or using the scanning pen 42 with forms(i.e. credit application, menuing, contracts and disclosures) containingspecial location codes 156. As discussed above, scanning pens arecapable of recording a user's signature, handwritten form data (e.g.,address, phone number) or interactive commands (e.g., glossary lookupsor requests for informational videos or advertisements).

FIG. 20 shows another ECDU embodiment. In this embodiment, acommercially available PC 251 with mouse 256 and keyboard 254 isconnected to the stand-alone unit 246 that contains the additional ECDUdevices, such as biometric fingerprint readers 27 and 28 withilluminated ring 31 and 32 and decision labels 29 and 30, microphone(s)26, speaker(s) 43, camera(s) 46, scanning pen port(s) 41, wirelessunit(s) 47, internal optical scanners and internal controllers. Thestand-alone unit 246 is connected to the PC via a communicationsinterface 258 which can be any appropriate interface including USB, IR,wired networking, wireless networking, etc. The PC 251 can be astand-alone PC or the F&I PC. The PC executes the ECDU software. Also, aseparate scanning pen port 41 is directly connected to the PC for addedflexibility via USB, IR, wireless, etc. interfaces. The PC is alsoconnected to a printer 71 to allow the printing of forms, contracts,disclosures, etc. during the ECDU session. A document ID reader 263preferably is placed on the printer to capture the machine readable IDcode 262 of each document and/or pre-printed paper during printing. Thescanning pen 42 allows the customer to complete paper-based coded forms156 (i.e. credit application, menuing, contracts and disclosures) whileelectronically capturing the handwritten responses using the speciallocation codes included on the forms. The captured responses include theuser's signature, required form data (e.g. address, phone number, etc.),and/or interactive commands (i.e. glossary lookups or requests forinformational videos or advertisements). A second scanning pen 253 isavailable for use by the business employee. A second scanning pen 253allows the ECDU to record and identify handwriting from both thecustomer (e.g. signature, etc.) and from the business employee (e.g.underlining of key points, etc.) Additional scanning pens are assignedas required.

FIG. 20 shows one embodiment of the ECDU (electronic contract anddisclosure unit) with separated peripheral unit 246, printer 71 with itsdocument ID readers 263, 259 (known simply as document ID readerprinter). In this embodiment, contract and disclosures are completed andcaptured using special location coded forms and a scanning pen 42. Inone embodiment, coded forms 156 incorporate special location encodedsymbol technology (i.e. dot patterns) of Anoto Group AB, located inSweden (www.anoto.com). The document ID for Anoto encoded paper is thelocation of this dot pattern range within the larger dot pattern space.Logically, Anoto describes an individual page by specifying its locationin a larger, available dot pattern.

The document ID reader printer of the present invention consists of aprinter and two document ID readers 263, 259, as shown in FIG. 21. Thereader 263 is capable of reading a machine readable ID 262 within aspecified capture area 265. The reader 259 is capable of reading amachine readable ID 268 within a specified capture area 269. One reader259 is mounted inside the printer in the printer tray 261 area tocapture the document ID 262 of each page prior to printing. The secondreader 263 is mounted on the top of the printer to capture the documentID of each page after printing. USB cables 264 and 266 providecommunication with the readers 259 and 263 respectively. After printing,the pages are ejected into the output paper tray 267.

Three approaches to printing these special location coded forms arecovered by this invention. First, contract and disclosures are printedon-demand by the printer on blank paper. In this embodiment, the printerprints both the special location coded patterns of symbols (e.g. Anotodot patterns) and the text/graphics of the contract or disclosure. Aseach page is printed, the document ID (e.g. Anoto page ID associatedwith the portion of the special location coded dot pattern utilized) isstored in the transaction log along with the document description andtime/date printed, as shown in FIG. 23. As each contract or disclosureis completed using the scanning pens and retrieved using the pen dockingport, the transaction log is updated to reflect the time/date retrieved.After a document is retrieved from the scanning pen, the status in thetransaction log is changed from “in use” to “completed”. Duringdealership usage, forms will be printed and not used for variousreasons, after a pre-determined interval the status of these uncompletedforms is changed to “expired”. After a document is marked “completed” or“expired” then this page of the special location coded pattern isavailable for re-use on a subsequent on-demand printing. One benefit ofthis tracking of document completion and expiration is the reduction inthe number of unique special location coded patterns required. Withouttracking which special location coded patterns are currently “in use”,the same pattern might be used a second time resulting in confusion whenthe scanning pen data is retrieved.

In a second embodiment, the printer prints the text/graphics of thecontracts or disclosures onto pre-printed, location coded paper. Priorto printing each page, the document ID reader located inside the printertray scans the pre-coded paper to determine the document ID of thepre-coded paper. The transaction log, as shown in FIG. 23, is used todetermine if this document ID (e.g. portion of the special locationcoded pattern) is already “in-use”, if so, then the printer is sent aform-feed to eject this page without printing, and then the next page ischecked. Once an unused portion of the special location coded pattern islocated, the contract or disclosure is printed and the transaction logis updated to reflect the new document. Ejected pages are not waste andare placed back into the paper tray for future use. The processcontinues as described in the previous paragraph.

In a third embodiment, contract and disclosures are printed onpre-printed contract or disclosure forms. These forms already containthe special location coded patterns and a generic contract or disclosuresuch as contract text and field labels, and the printer is simply addingthe session specific data such as name, address, phone number, price,terms, etc. When the forms are pre-printed, a forms log is created asshown on the left in FIG. 24. The forms log contains the mapping betweendocument ID (e.g. location coded dot pattern ID) and the form type.Prior to the printer adding deal specific information, the internaldocument ID reader scans the pre-coded forms to determine the documentID. Using the forms log, the form type can be verified prior to printingto avoid erroneous printing. If the form type is wrong or the documentID code is “in-use” then the form is ejected and saved for future use.After each form is printed, the form log is updated to reflect that theform was used. The process continues as described two paragraphsearlier.

In another alternate embodiment, the transaction log shown in FIG. 110is used to provide an authenticated registration table that associateseach completed contract or disclosure with a unique machine readabledocument ID code. The document ID code functions like a unique digitalfingerprint for that document and document ID codes are not re-used. Thedocument ID code is a machine readable code such as, for instance, anAnoto dot pattern ID, RFID, barcode, alphanumeric code, etc. When adocument is being created, a unique document ID code is retrieved orsupplied from a suitable repository such as the RPS. A new record isadded to the transaction log containing the new document description anddocument ID code along with the time and data printed and the statusentry is set to “in-use.” Ideally, the transaction log is stored in therepository of the RPS. The document description entry includessufficient identifying information such as document type, versionnumber, list of parties to the contract, page number, etc. Aftersuccessfully executing the document, the transaction log status entry ischanged to “completed” and the time/date retrieved is set to thetime/date of the completion. For example, when the document requires asignature, the time/date of execution is noted when all signatures arecaptured in the designated locations. When documents are not completedduring a predetermined amount of time, the status entry is changed to“expired.” If there is a problem during printing or other reasons forreprinting, the status entry is changed to “void” and a new record isadded to the transaction to record the new unique document ID code.Since only the completed document will have the matching document ID tothe one stored in the transaction log, this document ID thus providesone means of authentication for the document. In the embodiment usingthe Anoto coded paper, the ECDU provides a measure of tamper resistantdocuments, a measure of counterfeiting resistance, and uniquelyidentifies the document. At the completion of each document, the ECDUalso computes an authentication code of the completed document andstores the authentication code in the transaction log. Theauthentication code provides a check against potential futurealterations (intentional or not) to the document.

In further embodiments, the machine readable document ID code isrendered onto or into the form in a non-copyable fashion. For example,the machine readable code can be printed on the paper using invisible orfluorescent ink that is only visible under ultraviolet light or blacklight. A suitable ultraviolet light or black light would be incorporatedinto the document ID reader to make the invisible ID capturable by thereader. An ultraviolet light or black light modified scanning pen isanother method of reading the invisible document ID. In otherembodiments, visible printing methods that are not reproduced whencopied (e.g. photocopier or scanner) can also be used. Commerciallyavailable ID readers are available for a wide range of techniquesincluding scanning pens, barcode readers, RFID readers, scanners, etc.

Alternate embodiments include placing the document ID reader 263 on theexterior of the printer near the paper exit (e.g. on the. top surface ofthe printer as shown in FIG. 21). In these external reader embodiments,document ID 262 codes are captured after printing. The ECDU systemprompts the dealership personnel to discard any forms that are printedon “in-use” document ID codes (e.g. portions of the special locationcoded patterns that are still in-use). In another embodiment, bothinternal input document reader 259 and external output document IDreader 262 are used. The internal input reader 259 checks the documentID prior to printing and the external output reader 263 checks thedocument ID after printing. This pre/post printing check is also usefulto catch multiple page paper feed errors.

The above embodiments describe using the document ID readers to capturethe document ID by observing a portion of the special location codedAnoto dot paper. A camera with suitable illuminator is used to captureor read the Anoto dot pattern. This camera is similar to the oneembedded into a scanning pen.

Alternately, the document ID is rendered on top of the special locationcoded pattern paper in bar-code format, see FIG. 22. The bar-code 268 isread using commercially available bar-code scanners (259, 263). Inanother embodiment, machine readable alphanumeric labels are rendered ontop of the special location coded paper and optical characterrecognition routines in combination with an optical scanner capture thedocument ID. In another embodiment, the document ID is rendered using 2Dbar-code formats. In another embodiment, the document ID is embeddedinto the paper using RFID and the document ID reader can be an RFIDreader.

The external and internal document ID readers 263 and 259 respectivelyare USB devices that are connected back to the ECDU and/or ECDU stationPC. In another embodiment, these readers are integrated into theprinter.

In both the scanning pen ECDU embodiments, the ECDU continues to recordthe whole ECDU session. ECDU sessions continue to record biometrics,pictures, videos, sounds, etc. along with all selections and answers inthe ECDU session log.

The interactive nature of the ECDU is maintained through the use ofspecial trigger spots encoded into the document, or through the use oftrigger actions, such as bouncing the pen over an area. These specialencoded regions trigger communications to the attached system via awireless or wired communications interface. The communication caninclude writing captured data as well as commands. These commandsinclude ECDU commands such as help, information, lookup, etc. Thedocuments have embedded codes to capture document type as well asversion number. Scanning pen embodiments can be used to capture creditapplications, sign off inspection sheets, menu selections and sign offs,executed contracts and disclosure statements, and lease and/or rentalagreements, vehicle completion forms, odometer disclosures, servicecontracts, etc.

FIG. 25 shows a digitizer grid ECDU embodiment. In this embodiment, acommercially available PC 251 is connected to a digitizing unit 276,which contains the digitizer grid 277, etc. The PC is also connected tothe stand-alone unit 246 that contains the additional ECDU devices, suchas biometric fingerprint readers with illuminated ring and decisionlabels, microphone(s) 36, speaker(s) 43, camera(s) 46, scanning penport(s) 41, wireless unit(s) 47, internal scanner(s) and internalcontrollers as discussed above relative to FIGS. 19 and 20. Thestand-alone unit 246 is connected to the PC via a communicationsinterface 258 which can be any appropriate interface including USB, IR,wired networking, wireless networking, etc connections. This PC can be astand-alone PC or the F&I PC; it can execute the ECDU software, and alsocan be connected to a printer 71 to allow for the printing of forms,contracts, disclosures, etc during the ECDU session. The digitizer unit276 allows the customer to complete paper-based forms (e.g. creditapplications, menuing, contracts and disclosures, etc) whileelectronically capturing the handwritten responses using the stylus inkpen 293 and digitizer grid 277, and without requiring special codedpaper. The captured responses include the user's signature, requiredform data (e.g. address, phone number, etc.), and/or interactivecommands (i.e. glossary lookups or requests for informational videos oradvertisements). A second stylus ink pen 294 is available for use by thebusiness employee. The second stylus allows the ECDU to record andidentify handwriting from both the customer (e.g. from his/hersignature, etc.) and from the business employee managing the transaction(e.g. from his/her underlining of key points, etc.) via the use ofmultiple stylus.

In one embodiment, the digitizing unit contains the digitizer grid 277,status LEDs 278, alignment brackets 279, document ID reader 281,alignment studs 282, holding clip 283, document alignment channel 284,stylus holder 286, one or more stylus ink pens 24, 26, one or morestylus tethers 38, a tether slide channel 287, sliding tether mount 288,and alignment brackets 289. The digitizing unit holds a document 291that contains a document ID 280 and communicates with the PC throughcommunications link 292.

The document ID reader captures the document ID 280, that is, amachine-readable identification code (e.g. bar code) printed on eachdocument 291 (e.g. contract, disclosure, or menu). This identificationcode on the form identifies the document type, revision, and its uniqueidentifier, which allows the ECDU to differentiate between two copies ofthe same form. The form type enables the ECDU to capture the stylus penstroke into the electronic form of the same type. In use, as the userwrites on the form, the ink records onto the paper while the digitizergrid captures the writing and the ECDU records it onto the correspondingelectronic form. Because accurate registration of the digitizing processis important, alignment brackets and/or alignment studs are utilized tosecure the forms on the digitizer unit, to ensure repeatable,constituent placement. The clip is used to retain the form afterplacement. In another embodiment, the form information (type, revision,unique identifier) is entered manually via writing on the form, orthrough keyboard entry, tablet stylus, touch screen, verbal entry, etc.In another embodiment, the form identification information is containedin RFID labels and read by an RF reader.

FIG. 26 shows an ultrasonic, digitizer grid ECDU embodiment. In thisembodiment, a commercially-available PC 251 is connected to anultrasonic, digitizing unit 296 rather than an electromagneticdigitizing unit 276. Functionally, the ultrasonic digitizing unit 296provides the same location information as with the electromagneticdigitizing unit 276 discussed above in FIG. 25. The PC 251 is alsoconnected to the stand-alone unit 246 that contains the additional ECDUdevices, such as biometric fingerprint readers 27 with illuminated rings31,32 and decision labels 29,30, microphone(s) 36, speaker(s) 43,camera(s) 46, scanning pen port(s) 41, wireless unit(s) 47, internalscanners and internal controllers. The stand-alone unit 246 is connectedto the PC 251 via a communications interface 258 which can be anyappropriate interface including USB, IR, wired networking, wirelessnetworking, etc. connections. The PC 251 can be a stand-alone PC or theF&I PC, and it can be used to execute the ECDU software. The PC is alsoconnected to a printer 71 to allow the printing of forms, contracts,disclosures, etc. during the ECDU session. The ultrasonic digitizer unit296 allows the customer to complete paper based forms (i.e. creditapplications, menuing, contracts and disclosures) while electronicallycapturing the handwritten responses using the digitizer grid, asmentioned above. The ultrasonic stylus ink pen 297 interacts with theultrasonic digitizer controller sensor 298 to determine the location ofhandwriting on the document 291. The ultrasonic digitizer controllersensor determines the location of the ultrasonic stylus pen bycalculating the location changes in terms of sound. The springcontroller hinge 299 provides a means for the hold clip 300 to hold thedocument 291 securely during operation. Additionally, alignment studs282 are provided to align the document 291. Ultrasonic ink pen virtualbuttons 301 are located along the front of the ultrasonic digitizercontroller sensor 298. Also, the ultrasonic stylus ink pen 297 isattached to the ultrasonic digitizer unit 296 with a tether 38 and aultrasonic ink pen holder 302 is located on the top right of 296.

FIG. 27 shows a separated display and digitizer unit ECDU embodiment. Asshown in the figure, the digitizer unit 306 contains the alignmentbrackets 289 and alignment studs 282, as well as the holding clip 283used for consistent placement of the document 291 on the digitizer grid277. The document 291 contains a document ID 280. The periphery containsthe biometric fingerprint readers 27 and 28, microphone 36, document IDreader 281, status LEDs 278, stylus ink pen 293, stylus holder 286,stylus tether 38, tether slide channel 287, speaker 43, camera 46, etc.Inside the ECDU are the controller 56, wireless unit 47, battery 307,etc. Located at the top of this ECDU embodiment is the separated display308. The display 308 is used to convey interactive content, comprising,for instance, glossary lookups, updated pricing, informational videos,product advertisements, etc. The display 308 is attached to the pad viaa hinge 309.

FIG. 28 shows another alternate embodiment of an ECDU station 12. Thisembodiment consists of dual tablet display ECDUs integrated in a deskembodiment. The desk 162 also contains cable raceways 315 for routingcables. The PC 148 in this embodiment is the ECDU controller 56,although not integrated with the displays as FIG. 4. As shown in FIG.28, the desk 162 contains two oversized tablet displays 311 and 312.Each tablet display is capable of displaying both the front and back ofa contract or disclosure page at the same time. Two cameras 46 areintegrated into the desk—one records the consumer side of the desk andone records the business employee side of the desk. Also, biometricfingerprint readers 27 and 28 are placed on both sides of the desk atthe base of the tablet displays to allow the multiple deal participants(one or more consumers and business employee) to authenticate and/oracknowledge at appropriate locations in the ECDU session. Located on thefar left of the desk, is a multi-purpose display 313. Mounted below thetop piece of glass of the display 313 is an embedded scanner 314 havingcapture area 317, and below the scanner is a display area. Themulti-purpose display is used for example to capture used suppliedpaperwork (e.g. utility bills, checks, etc) by placing the document facedown and pressing the scan button 316. When the scan is activated, theembedded scanner moves across the embedded display and captures an imageof the page placed face down. After each scan, the scanned image isdisplayed on the embedded display 313 or one of the tablet displays 311,312 to allow the participants to check the readability/suitability ofthe scan. Between scanner usage, the multi-purpose display is used todisplay relevant graphical advertisements and/or multi-media videos.ECDU ports 317 are provided for input/output purposes. In an alternateembodiment, a controller 56 is integrated with the displays or locatedbeneath or adjacent to the desk 162 and connected to the displays.

In an alternate embodiment, the whole desktop surface is replaced with asingle large display. Portions of the display are transparent to allowsubsurface camera and scanner to capture images of participants and/orimages of presented paper documents. Software tools allow the consumerand/or business employee to drag contract and disclosure documentselectronically around the large desktop display. For example, documentscan be dragged from a to-do list to a completed document folder. Locatedaround the perimeter of the desktop are the remaining ECDU devices(biometric fingerprint readers and decision labels, microphone, speaker,. . . )

FIG. 106 shows another alternate embodiment of an ECDU station 451. AnECDU 473 is placed on the top surface of a desk 454. A hole is formed inthe desk 454 below the center of the ECDU to allow routing of the cableharness 462 to, for example, an ECDU controller 456 (e.g. PC), etc. TheECDU 473 rests on rubber feet 416 so that a vent gap 471 is formedbetween the ECDU frame and the top surface of the desk 454 allowing thetablet display 474 to be suitably vented and allowing access to thecontrol panel 477. The tablet display is protected with a replaceableprotective lens 476. The speakers are protected with a speaker grill452. The equipment shelf 466 located below the desk top is supported bythe dual center braces 463. The equipment shelf 466, dual center braces463, and the end braces 469 form a hidden cavity 464. The ECDUcontroller 456 is located within the hidden cavity 464. Vent holes 461are placed in the center braces (and end braces if needed) to vent anyexcess ECDU controller heat. The equipment service door 453 is locatedin a center braces 463 to allow access to the ECDU controller 456.Caster wheels 467 are located on the four legs. The controller isprovided with an Ethernet connection 457 for connecting the controllerto the outside such as to a network or the internet, a power cable 458,and power supply 459 to provide power. Also illustrated in FIG. 106 isframe 472 and display clamp 468.

FIG. 107 shows another alternate embodiment of an ECDU station 485. AnECDU 492 is mounted flush in an appropriately sized mounting hole in adesk. The mounting hole provides clearance 493 for the ECDU to sit on arecessed support shelf 494 spaced such that the top surface of the ECDU492 is substantially flush with the desk surface. A hole 499 is locatedin the support shelf below the center of the ECDU 492 to allow cablerouting back to ECDU controller 481 (e.g. PC), etc. Cables are hidden inthe cavity formed by the dual center braces 489 and end braces 491. Alsoillustrated in FIG. 107 are a printer 482, a keyboard 483, a stylus 484,a protective lens 486 for protecting the screen of the ECDU 492, an ECDUmounting 487, and rubber feet 488. A scanner 496 can also be providedfor purposes discussed in some detail above.

FIG. 108 shows another alternate embodiment of an ECDU station 506, inthis case an embodiment in which an ECDU pivots within an opening in adesk. The desk has a mounting hole that provides clearance 493 for theECDU 492. The ECDU 492 is mounted on pivot members 501 on two opposingsides above the center of gravity to allow angle adjustment and anatural flush mounted position. An angle adjustment gear 504 is attachedto one or more pivot member sides. An angle adjustment motor 503 ismounted to the bottom surface of the desktop aligned to mesh its motorgear with the angle adjustment gear 504. The angle adjustment motor 503is connected to the angle adjustment switch 502 which allows a user toadjust the angle of ECDU 492 to enable privacy and a more direct viewingangle for one user. For example, a dealership employee may use the ECDUin a privacy mode to look at other customers records without revealingthem to a customer sitting at the desk by tilting the ECDU to deterviewing from the opposite side of the desk. In another example, the ECDU492 may be tilted toward a consumer to enable the consumer to watch along video presentation in a more reclined relaxed position. In typicalECDU operation, the angle is adjusted such that the ECDU is level andflush with the desk surface to allow all participants to view andinteract with the ECDU.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 112, an ECDU station 537 isincorporated into a mobile vehicle 531 such as a van, mobile home, limo,car, etc. This allows the ECDU station 537 to be used in a mobilefashion. For example, the ECDU station 537 could go to a consumer's homeresidence instead of the consumer coming to the business to close atransaction. In this embodiment, the ECDU 533 is be connected to theInternet via available wireless links such as Wi-Fi, cellular modems,etc. through a suitable antenna 536. The ECDU station 537 is powered viaan inverter 532 connected to the vehicles power system. The likelybusiness position 538 and consumer position 534 in the vehicle aredepicted, although these may change since they are dependent upon theconfiguration of the station inside the vehicle.

In another alternative embodiment, images can be displayed to videoheadsets worn by one or more of the participants in a transaction. TheECDU display in such an embodiment is viewed inside the headset viewarea. In this embodiment, biometric fingerprint readers and other ECDUdevices can be incorporated into the headset, or elsewhere. Dualfingerprint readers may be mounted one per side with alignment groovesto assist the user with finger swipe selection, navigation, andidentification. Speakers may be positioned over the ears to deliveraudio and a microphone located near the mouth to capture voice. Theheadset in such an embodiment is connected via wireless or wiredinterface to an ECDU controller. A camera may be located in the headsetto track eye position, motion, focus, and reaction. The headsetgenerally will be fabricated using lightweight plastic (e.g. ABS), and abattery is built into the headset to power its operation.

FIG. 29 shows the ECDU docking cradle 318 of one embodiment. The dockingcradle 318 serves multiple functions; i.e., recharging, wiredconnectivity for uploading and downloading data quickly, and forstorage.

The ECDU cradle 318 is shaped to comfortably support the ECDU unit 10and includes an internal support plate 329. At the bottom of the cradleis the docking connector 319. This docking connector 319 provideselectrical connection between the ECDU docking port 59 and the cradle.Power and ground are supplied using the docking connector 319 to powerthe unit and recharge the ECDU battery. The docking connector 319 alsoprovides a wired data connection between the ECDU and the cradle. Thecradle is shaped to allow the curved handles and bottom mounted printerto easily support the ECDU 10.

The cradle is connected to external power using a power cord 322. Thecradle is connected to the local area network using an external cable321.

The cradle has three indicator lights 323, 224, and 326 on the frontface. These lights indicate ECDU status during docking. For example, thelights can show power, data transmission, and recharging status. Theupper opening 327 is shaped to accommodate the ECDU 10 and a connectedscanning pen docking port 41 is provided to support a scanning pen 42.

In various embodiments, the ECDU is powered or recharged via a powersupply and is connected via cables to LAN and/or Internet without acradle. The physical form factor could be designed for integration ontoor into a desk, such as in the form of a desk overlay.

FIG. 30 shows one embodiment of a ECDU scanning pen. As discussed above,scanning pens are constructed by incorporating additional ECDU devices.FIG. 30 shows a scanning pen that includes the basic scanning penequipment (infrared led & camera 332, controller electronics withsoftware on a PCB 333, battery 334, on/off docking sensor 336, andpen-ink cartridge 337). In addition to the basics, the scanning pen alsoincludes ECDU devices including a biometric fingerprint reader 338,wireless unit 339, camera 341, speaker 342, microphone 343, mode switch344, docking connector 346, motion sensor 347, status led 348, clip 349,tether mounting loop port 351, tether 352 and tether mounting connector353, biofeedback sensors 354, vibrator 356, encryption unit 357, andelectronic serial number 358. The motion sensor 347 can be as simple asa mercury tilt switch or as elaborate as MEMS accelerometers. In oneembodiment, the motion sensor 347 allows shutting the pen down when ithas remained idle for a sufficient period of time in addition to thestandard pen cap triggered shut down. The ECDU scanning pen alsoincludes a biometric status LED 359, an on-off docking sensor 336, awriting pressure sensor 362, a power reception unit/secondary coil 363,and a reset switch 364.

FIG. 31 shows another embodiment of a ECDU Stylus Pen. FIG. 31 shows astylus pen that includes the basic stylus writing electronics (circuitboard, EM sensor and components). In addition to the basics, the styluspen also includes ECDU devices including a biometric fingerprint reader338, wireless unit 339, camera 341, speaker 342, microphone 343, modeswitch 344, docking connector 346, motion sensor 347, status led 348,clip 349, tether mounting loop port 351, tether 352 and tether mountingconnector 353, biofeedback sensors 354, vibrator 356, encryption unit357, and electronic serial number 358. The motion sensor 347 can be assimple as a mercury tilt switch or as elaborate as MEMS accelerometers.In one embodiment, the motion sensor 347 allows shutting the pen downwhen it has remained idle for a sufficient period of time in addition tothe standard pen cap triggered shut down. The ECDU scanning pen alsoincludes a biometric status LED 359, an on-off docking sensor 336, awriting pressure sensor 362, a power reception unit/secondary coil 363,and a reset switch 364.

In alternate embodiments, combo stylus/scanning pens are constructed ina similar fashion. In these combo pens, the pen tip contains both thebasic stylus writing electronics 367 (circuit board, EM sensor andcomponents) and the basic scanning pen equipment (infrared led & camera332, controller electronics with software on a PCB, battery, on/offdocking sensor, and pen-ink cartridge). The pen-ink cartridge 337 isretracted using a simple mechanical slide mechanism when the stylus penmode is desired (e.g. during data entry/selection/navigation using thetablet display), and deployed when the scanning pen operating is desired(e.g. paper-based menus/forms are being disclosed and/or executed.)

FIG. 32 shows an embodiment of a multi scanning pen docking bank. Eachdocking pen station or module 371 contains a single scanning pen dockingport 372, a port label 373, and LEDs 374 to indicate status, a modulecontroller 376 and keyed module interconnects 377 with power and USBconnectors 378 and 379. The purpose of the module interconnects is toallow an arbitrary number of scanning pen docking stations to bephysically and electrically daisy-chained (i.e. power, USB, etc). Powerand USB jacks 381 and 382 are provided.

FIG. 33 shows the Repository Processing System (RPS). The functionalityof the RPS can be broken down for clarity into 12 major areas, as shown.The RPS simplifies the required connectivity by acting as a single,computerized point of access. Instead of ECDUs connecting to numerous(and potentially changing lists of) participants (e.g. credit bureaus,suppliers, lenders, insurance companies, warranty providers,after-market vendors, etc.), the ECDUs instead connect to the RPS andthe RPS handles the numerous connections to these participants (e.g.credit bureaus, suppliers, lenders, insurance companies, warrantyproviders, after-market vendors, government agencies, etc.).

The first function in the RPS is the deal clearing house. At thecompletion of a car purchase or lease, for example, the completed ECDUsession is sent to the RPS. The RPS processes the completed deal. Thisprocessing involves the distribution of relevant contracts anddisclosures to the various participants (e.g. lenders, suppliers, etc.)that are involved in the deal. In addition, the RPS collects all fundsand disperses funds to the relevant participants (car dealer, warrantyprovider, insurance company, etc.) preferably by wire transfer. In oneembodiment, the ECDU session contains the deal closing statementsupplied by the DMS and/or F&I systems at the dealership. The RPS usesthe deal closing statement to distribute funds accordingly.

After processing the session, the RPS stores the completed ECDU sessionin the repository. The repository is a secured database. The repositoryprovides financial participants a copy at any time, as needed.

The repository processing function is used to process the ECDU sessiondata in the repository. This processing also may include thenormalization of the data (e.g. standardization of terms, abbreviationsand spelling).

The Identity check function is used to authenticate the identity of dealparticipants. In one embodiment, current biometric information iscompared to stored biometric information in the repository toauthenticate participant identity. In other embodiments, externaldatabases are queried to check supplied addresses, phone numbers, etc.

The rate/pricing tables function is used to provide timely, updatedpricing of product offerings. In one embodiment, the ECDU can query the“single-stop” (RPS) for current pricing information. For example,service warranties can be priced more accurately depending on actual carfeatures, instead of through preprinted, group pricing schemes.

The product aggregator function is used to aggregate product purchasesinto packages, leading to volume pricing for participants. In oneembodiment, after-market products are aggregated into packages to offerdiscounts to consumers based on combined volume discounts. Specifically,the RPS has large volume pricing power with suppliers, which is used forleverage power in obtaining the volume discounts. Since the RPS providescomputerized distribution of advertisements and real-time pricing to theECDUs, suppliers can offer specials in near-real-time to generateadditional sales, if needed. Volume pricing power can extend toindividual products, as well.

The Ad library is a repository of current product advertisements. Theseadvertisements may be static, animated, multi-media, and/or video. Inone embodiment, the ECDU queries the RPS to downloaddemographically-targeted advertisements in response to users' queriesfor more information. Ad placement, size, degree, and multi-media formatare selected according to the user's queries. These Ads are valuable inselling products and services to a consumer because of their prominentplacement on the ECDU during the sales cycle.

The Form library is a repository of electronic contracts and disclosuresfor the various products and services offered by the participants. Thiscentralized repository allows participants to replace out-dated formsand contracts, quickly at a single location. In one embodiment, the ECDUqueries the RPS to download the relevant contracts quickly anddisclosures for products and services during the ECDU session, inresponse to the customers' responses.

The product information function is a repository of relevant productinformation, comprising manuals, specifications, etc. In one embodiment,the ECDU queries the RPS to download up-to-date product information inresponse to users' queries for more detailed information.

The credit application processing function is used to manage theparticipant approval and lender selection process efficiently. Creditapplications are merged with credit information and sent to financialinstitutions (e.g. lenders) for approval. In one embodiment, theinstitutions are pre-screened based on credit scores. Moreover, thelender selection can be based on multiple criteria (e.g. lowest rate,simplicity to deal with, profit to dealership, etc.). In anotherembodiment, this function converts handwriting to text and checks dataaccuracy for the submitted applications.

The auction function is used to a select lender based on an auctionformat. In one embodiment, the RPS posts each credit application to anauction board. Each financial participant can then score eachapplication independently and offer credit, if desired. The auctionkeeps track of the best offer to date. Lenders can then choose to offerlower rates based on their assessment of risk and/or their needs to makeadditional loans, etc.

ECDU Connectivity

FIG. 34 shows one configuration of an ECDU in an automotive dealershipenvironment. Modern car dealership accounting systems are configuredusing local area networks (LANs). The data handling computer is simplyadded to the LAN. The data handling computer is connected via wired andwireless interfaces to one or more ECDU systems. The data handlingcomputer system is connected to the data repository system using theinternet. The data repository system is queried by data users (e.g.FollowUp/add on services companies) via the internet.

FIG. 35 shows an alternative embodiment where the ECDUs are onlyconnected directly to the LAN without the need for the data handlingcomputer. The functionality of the data handling computer system isincluded in the ECDU, in the F&I, in the DMS, or split between thethree. Furthermore, the data repository can become the central server ofdata flow.

FIG. 36 shows one configuration of an ECDU in an older car dealershipenvironment. In some non-LAN, legacy dealership accounting systems, theconnectivity to the accounting system is via hardware ports that requirea modem or null-modem cable. For this configuration, the data handlingsystem is connected using a dial-up modem attached to the maintenanceport of the in-house accounting system. The data handling computer isconnected via wired and wireless interfaces to one or more ECDU systems.The data handling computer system is connected to the data repositorysystem using the internet. The data repository system is queried by datausers (e.g. FollowUp/add on services companies) via the internet.

FIG. 37 shows another embodiment of an ECDU in a car dealershipenvironment. The Finance and Insurance (F&I) computer system isconnected directly via wired and wireless interfaces to one or more ECDUsystems. The F&I system is connected to the in-house accounting systemvia a LAN. The in-house accounting system is connected to external datarepository systems using the internet (shown) or dial-up ports (notshown).

Also shown in FIGS. 34, 36, and 37, the ECDU is connected to thein-house accounting system/DMS without the need for the data handlingsystem. This is accomplished by including the necessary data handlingfunctionality into the in-house system/DMS, into the ECDU, and/or intothe F&I system, or split between the three, as shown in FIG. 35.

In general, FIG. 38 shows a point-of-sale (POS) ECDU application such asa retailer (e.g. Sears selling appliances). The ECDUs are deployed tohandle contracts and disclosures during the sales process. Similar tothe dealership application, contracts and disclosures are received fromdesignated providers, and the completed ECDU sessions are transmitted tothe corporate office and/or data repository.

Also shown in FIGS. 34-38, all systems of the dealership or POS cancommunicate to the RPS as a single-stop interface. This RPS usage allowsthe dealership computers simply to connect to one external system ratherthan to a constantly-changing list of external participants. Theconsumer, one of the deal participants, is also shown in these Figures.The consumer can directly interface the RPS by pre-entering creditapplications, looking at product Ads and pricing, accessing productinformation, pulling down completed contracts and disclosures after thepurchase, etc.

The capabilities and connectivity of the ECDU allows additional dealparticipants to be virtually present/represented in the CTV, see FIG. 1.For example, initially credit applications are shared with multiplesources of credit either directly via the internet or via the RPS. Theselected source of credit becomes a virtual participant in the CTV.Other virtual participants may include suppliers of after-market items,providers of extended warranties, manufacturers, etc. As data is enteredand relevant selections are completed during the ECDU session, updatedsession data is shared with the relevant virtual participants (e.g.lender). For example, the credit engine and policies of the lender areeither accessed remotely via the Internet, indirectly via the RPS, fromthe RPS, from the local deal handling computer system DHS and/or locallyfrom the ECDU. Similarly, legal constraints also affect the content andstructure of the contracts and/or disclosures. For example, changes in aconsumers residence data often requires different local sales tax rates,different disclosures and other local legal forms. Furthermore,marketing program eligibility affects the content and structure of thecontracts and/or disclosures. For example, military personnel oftenqualify for special terms and conditions. While in the preferredembodiment, this functionality resides on the RPS, in alternateembodiments this functionality is stored locally on the deal handlingcomputer system or even on the ECDU.

FIG. 39 shows the stages of an ECDU assisted deal flow in a cardealership in one embodiment.

FIG. 40 shows the stages of a modified ECDU deal flow in a cardealership in another embodiment. The primary difference is that thedeal handling system is pulling the deal from the in house accountingsystem whenever the deal is available.

FIG. 41 shows the stages of an integrated ECDU, F&I system deal flow inyet another embodiment. This deal flow may be found in a dealership thatuses an ECDU as a peripheral off of the F&I system or the ECDU performsthe F&I function.

FIG. 42 shows the stages of a scanning pen based ECDU/F&I system dealflow. This deal flow may be found in a car dealership that uses paperbased forms in the ECDU session.

FIG. 43 shows the stages of a POS transaction deal flow in oneembodiment. The primary difference is that the ECDU is closely linked tothe POS (i.e. cash register) instead of dealership F&I equipment.

ECDU Usage Illustration

In one embodiment, the ECDU is used in a car dealership, typically inthe finance and insurance (F&I) department. Broadly, the terms contractsand disclosures include all legal agreements, contracts, policies,disclosures, menus, sales order, check lists, enlistments, etc. Thefollowing discussion illustrates the manner in which the ECDU may beused to improve the sales process and all related transactions. FIGS.44-75, 77-87 and 90 show schematically the front view or screen of theECDU during different stages of the sale process in various embodiments.

These illustrations show the ECDU's capabilities using the cardealership example, which is one preferred use. However, thesecapabilities also apply to more general point-of-sale (POS), rentalindustries, financial, and insurance applications in a broad range ofindustries; i.e., boats, recreational vehicles, mortgages, equipmentleasing, insurance industry (car, home, life, liability, boat, etc.),banking products, military recruiting, drug screening, etc.

FIG. 44 shows the ECDU Login Screen. The dealership employee enters therequired information, such as name and password. Also, periodically oneor more of the dealership privacy policies and regulations are displayedon the screen. The employee must read and indicate his understanding ofthese policies before the ECDU session will continue. This policy reviewhappens periodically, perhaps during the first session after aprescribed number of days have past since the last verification of hisunderstanding of the important privacy policies and regulations. Thetiming or frequency is determined by the requirements for review ofstandardized policies. The employee indicates his understanding andagreement to follow these policies using the biometric fingerprintreaders.

Typically, the car customer, after selecting a car, agreeing on a priceand signing a buyers order, is turned over to the F&I department tocomplete the sale. The sales contract and relevant disclosure agreementsare loaded into the ECDU and the car customer begins the ECDU sessionwith the ECDU initialization screen shown in the embodiment of FIG. 45.This screen has two functions. First, the car customer selects hispreferred language using the stylus pen and the list of availablelanguages. While in most jurisdictions, the official contract is inEnglish, the contract is also available in a translated form forcustomers who speak a language other than English. If the customerchooses a language other than English, then later screens are eithershown using a split screen format, see FIG. 78, or in a languageswitchable format, as in the embodiment of FIG. 77, or in an interleavedformat, as seen in FIG. 79. For vision impaired customers, the enlargeand audio tools will enable these customers to receive the necessarydisclosures.

While the user's (i.e. customer's) name, address, etc. have most likelyalready been captured into the F&I system, the ECDU verifies the user'sState or Region prior to beginning the ECDU session, as shown in FIG.45. If not already captured, the ECDU prompts the user to enter therequired information. If desired, this information can be scanned fromthe customer's driver's license (or other ID) using the scannerincorporated in the ECDU or captured from the buyers order usingscanning pens or optical scanners, or captured from credit application.This is important because contract requirements vary acrossjurisdictions and the ECDU displays the appropriate contract anddisclosures.

After indicating the user's language preference and verifying the user'sState or Region, the user swipes (actuates) the fingerprint reader belowthe AGREE label to validate these choices. While the user is swiping hisfingerprint, the camera on the ECDU records his photo to document thatthe correct person's finger was swiping the fingerprint reader.

In many ECDU embodiments, fingerprint readers are used to authenticatescreens quickly without the need for full signatures or initials. Ineffect, by swiping the fingerprint reader, the user agrees to substitutehis fingerprint (biometric) for his signature. This also insures thatonly the customer is paging through the screens. In ECDU embodimentswithout fingerprint readers, the ECDU can use signature capture and/orother possible biometrics (i.e., face) on each screen to ensure thatonly the customer is paging through the screens. For example,corresponding agree and disagree buttons are displayed and selected withthe stylus, and other authentication (e.g. biometrics, signature,initials, and/or photo captured) are used to validate each page. In somecases, multiple biometrics (e.g. fingerprint, voice, etc.) and signaturecaptures can be used as required by the contract originator.

In addition to recording static photos during the ECDU session, the ECDUin one embodiment records the whole session by using the multi-framecapability of the camera to record a movie (video). Also, the microphonerecords audio during the whole session. The audio and video are usefulto show that the correct user was using the ECDU, that the user and notthe salesman was selecting the various choices, and to record anyexternal prompting or Q&A with surrounding people. This audit trailprovides invaluable evidence in settling disputes, evaluating training,etc.

Also, shown in the upper right hand corner of the display in theembodiment of FIG. 45 is the pen tools menu. This tools menu isgenerally available on all screens throughout the ECDU session. Thetools menu contains many useful tools. Some of these tools areillustrated in FIGS. 46-48, 73, 78, and 79. The eraser tool is used invarious embodiments to toggle the pen function from writing to erasing.

FIG. 46 illustrates usage of the flip pen tool in one embodiment. In acar dealership environment the consumer and dealership employeetypically sit across from one another on the opposite sides of a table,such that the flip tool allows the screen to be quickly flippeddigitally to allow the dealership employee to read the screen easily.The flip tool is configured to flip the screen 180 degrees. This tool ispowerful when combined with language translation tools. For example,FIG. 74 shows the dealership employee view (top portion) displayingEnglish while the customer view (bottom portion) displays Spanish.Highlighting or emphasis tools are coordinated between the two windows.

FIG. 47 illustrates the usage of the rotate pen tool in one embodimentof the ECDU. Again, in a car dealership environment, the consumer anddealership employee customarily are on opposite sides of a table, and inthis instance the rotate tool allows the screen to be quickly rotateddigitally to allow the dealership employee to read the screen easily.The increments of rotate are multiples of 90 degrees. Variants of thistool are used to rotate the screen to any specified angle. In additionto the software rotate tool, hardware rotation embodiments are shown forexample in FIGS. 11 and 16.

FIG. 48 illustrates use of the highlight pen tool in one embodiment ofthe ECDU. In practice, dealership employees point to and/or circle termson contracts to bring these areas to the attention of consumers. Thehighlight pen tool allows the pen mode to be changed into a highlightmode. The text in regions of the screen that are indicated by the styluscan change color, font size or style, background, etc. FIG. 48 shows thebackground changing to black and the font color changing to white.Alternate embodiments graphically change pixels to give the appearancethat the stylus is a physical highlighter; e.g., transparent yellow canbe digitally imposed above the areas indicated by the stylus.

In practice, all or most car customers are asked to fill out a creditapplication prior to finalizing the purchase. For customers who desirefinancing, this step is required, and even for customers paying withcash or check this may be desirable from the dealership's perspective.The dealership typically tries to convert some of the cash or checkcustomers into financing deals. Also, the dealership may like or berequired to verify the integrity and/or identity of customers beforetaking checks or to meet any applicable federal identity guidelines andregulations.

The ECDU in various embodiments is used to automate this creditapplication process. FIG. 49 shows the ECDU session of a customerfilling out a credit application. The customer uses the stylus pen tofill out the required information such as name, address, date of birth,social security number, etc. Since the ECDU has connectivity, some ofthis information is preloaded from other dealership computer systems,such as dealership management system, prospecting systems, etc.Handwritten entries are converted to text using automated characterrecognition tools. To aid in recognition of handwritten entries,character alignment boxes or tics can appear in the entry fields. Also,for completeness, the actual handwritten image is saved for later reviewto resolve instances of misinterpreted character recognition

After completing the data entry in one embodiment, the user is asked tovalidate his entries. The user swipes (actuates) the fingerprint readerbelow the AGREE label to validate these entries. While the user isswiping his fingerprint, the camera on the ECDU records his photo todocument that the correct person's finger was swiping the fingerprintreader.

After the user enters the credit application information, the ECDU showsthe credit application signature screen, as seen in the embodiment ofFIG. 50. This screen displays high level information, such as the user'sname, address, and social security number, along with his photo capturedusing the ECDU camera. Finally, the user signs the credit applicationauthorizing credit retrieval using the stylus pen. In one embodiment,the user's signature is captured and incorporated into the creditapplication. The user's signature completes the credit application andsignifies the users granting of authority to pull credit reports toascertain the credit worthiness of the customer. Additional biometricauthentication information captured by the ECDU decreases the chance offraud.

To safeguard private information, the ECDU may encrypt the creditapplication using various encryption methods, including public andprivate key cryptography. For example, if the ECDU is sending the creditapplication to financial institutions, the credit application can beencrypted with the financial institutions public key prior to sendingthe credit application across the internet. The financial institutionuses their private key to decrypt the encrypted credit application. Thefinancial institution's response is encrypted using the ECDU's publickey prior to sending the response across the internet. The ECDU can thenuse its private key to decrypt the encrypted response. This protectedcommunication may pass through and/or utilize other computer resourcesinside the dealership such as the data handling system, discussed above.The data encryption is offloaded to these other computer resources ifdesired; e.g. the data handling computer.

This public/private key encryption is preformed using software orhardware encryption units or keys in various embodiments. The hardwarekey unit has the advantage of preventing the copying and distribution ofthe private keys. If hardware keys are lost or stolen, then the otherparties can simply stop using the matching public key for any futurecommunication.

Specifically, in one embodiment, after the ECDU credit application iscompleted, the ECDU sends the encrypted credit application to bothfinancial institutions and to the desired data repository. Copies can bekept on the local data handling computer if desired, or all copies canbe retained on just the data repository system.

After sending the encrypted credit application in one embodiment, theECDU can automatically delete the private information or wait for areceipt message from the financial institution prior to deleting theinformation. This reduces the risk of the business with regard topossible improper disclosure of the credit application. Because thecredit application is electronically stored and secured in the datarepository, this eliminates the risk associated with protecting papercopies of the credit application at the business.

This automated credit application process has benefits to the consumer,the dealership/business, and financial institutions. The following tablesummarizes some of the benefits of various embodiments of the ECDU usedfor credit applications.

Consumer Dealership/Business Financial Institute Privacy Reduce riskReduces errors Control paper No storage Reduces fraud risk applicationproblems Speed Save time Save time Faster approval Reduces paper andform costs

In another embodiment, it might be desirable to continue to use paperbased credit applications. This process is also electronically capturedaccording to this invention using scanners. First, the completed creditapplication is optically scanned using the paper port scannerincorporated into the ECDU, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 4.Specifically, the paper application is fed into the slot of the scanner,and the paper passes through the scanner as it is optically scanned. Thescanned credit application is stored in image format and as text alsoafter using optical character recognition (OCR) tools. The scanned imageand OCR text are then encrypted and sent as discussed above. In analternative embodiment, the credit application is printed on speciallocation coded paper, seen in FIG. 51, and the scanning pen is used.Specifically, the credit application is integrated into or onto thespecial location coded paper so that the scanning pen can record thewritten credit application. As the consumer fills out the creditapplication of one embodiment with a scanning pen, the penelectronically records the writing as it is written by optically readingthe embedded location coded coordinates (i.e. special location codes)that are incorporated onto the credit application with the writing. Toaid in handwriting recognition, alignment boxes are used to prompt theuser appropriately to separate the characters. Theelectronically-recorded writing is retrieved from the scanning pen usingthe scanning pen data port as shown in FIG. 4. In one embodiment, thisscanning pen data port is included in the ECDU as shown in theembodiment of FIG. 4 for pens that require it. In other embodiments,scanning pens use wireless interfaces or are directly wired. Thisembodiment provides a real time communication link verses the batchcommunication of the docking scanning pen embodiment. This real timecommunication enables the scanning pen to transmit commands and data tothe ECDU or connected system. The commands and/or data can triggerevents/actions such as immediate verification or help.

If desired, in one embodiment, this electronic credit applicationcapture process is a stand-alone station in the dealership orincorporated into other computer systems in the dealership. Astand-alone ECDU is shown in FIG. 35.

One of main advantages of these alternative paper based embodiments suchas that of FIG. 51 is the similarity to current practice. Thissimilarity leads to little or no training costs for dealershippersonnel. Another advantage is that after electronically capturing thecompleted credit applications, the customer can keep the only paper copyfor his own purposes. This existence of a paper copy is a potential riskto the business because it can be used improperly to disclose creditinformation to an unauthorized party. The above embodiment mitigatesthis risk by giving the only existing paper copy to the customer.

All of the above credit application embodiments lead to time/costsavings for the dealership or business. For example, automated dataentry eliminates the time consuming (and costly) re-typing ofinformation that is common in car dealerships and provides the abilityto store electronically the completed credit applications in a securefacility which eliminates the potential costs of an improper disclosureof credit information.

The next drawing, FIG. 52, shows the dealership application screen inone embodiment. In addition to completing the sales contract anddisclosures, the F&I person up-sells the car customer such after-saleitems as extended warranties, insurance, security products, etc. Thismenu screen provides the car customer multiple packages or products tochoose from of common extra items. The menu screen standardizes thepackage and product offerings and options for all consumers. Thisexample screen shows three package choices, labeled Platinum, Gold, andSilver. Inside each labeled button is a brief description of the majorcomponents of each package. Below each package is the cost per period.The selector boxes for the payment type, payment frequency, and numberof payments are initially set at typical default values. The consumercan change these settings, for example, changing the payment frequencyfrom monthly to bi-weekly, by using the payment frequency selector tool.For this illustration, the car customer chooses the Platinum packagebecause he desires all four listed options. He selects the package bytouching the screen with the stylus pen. To validate the selection, theuser swipes (i.e. actuates) the AGREE fingerprint reader with his fingerand the camera records the event. The ECDU records the list of displayedpackage options in the session record to document that he was offeredother options. Selected package queues the required disclosures to becompleted using the ECDU.

After selection of the package, the ECDU displays a summary of the itemscontained in each package, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 53. FIG.53 shows the Platinum Package screen. To the left of each potentialpackage item is a radio button. The radio buttons allow the customer toremove or add items to the package as desired. To the right of each itemis the retail cost. To the right of each cost is a button label “MoreInfo.” These buttons allow the customer to pull up additional screensand/or video ads to explain the benefits of the package item or comparebetween various choices; e.g. factory versus third party extendedwarranty. Below the list of items is the package discount label andamount. If the user removes any items from the package, the discount isreduced and/or eliminated. Below the package discount is the totalpackage cost per period. The user can change the payment type,frequency, and number of payments using the payment selector tool. Thisexample shows a hypothetical cash purchase. The ECDU can assist theconsumer by comparing side-by-side features and costs using grid andother graphical based screens. These expanded interactive package itemmenus work in concert with the ECDU's connectivity to allow finerdetailed pricing that benefits both the consumer and the suppliers (e.g.insurance companies). After the user has removed/added package items,the customer can press one of the buttons at the bottom of the screen topull up a loan payment options screen, a lease payment option screen, ora cash purchase screen.

In the embodiment of this illustration, the consumer wishes to financethe vehicle with a loan, so the next screenshot, FIG. 54, shows the loanpayment option grid screen. This screen shows a grid of monthly paymentoptions based on various term length and down payment amounts. The ECDUcomputes these payment values on-the-fly in one embodiment using paymentcalculation engines (or tables) located in the ECDU, on the F&I system,on the DMS system, or using linear factors, etc. The ECDU can alsoaccess external computer resources to compute pricing information inreal-time for items such as credit life, extended warranties, etc. Thison-the-fly pricing is more accurate because all available information isused to compute true risk based pricing. The ECDU can combine variousmonthly payments (e.g. for the vehicle and any optional insurance, etc)and show the customer the total monthly payment values. If the consumersees a payment option (term and down payment) that is adequate, theconsumer selects the appropriate square from the grid and proceedsthrough the rest of the ECDU session. As described above, the customercan use the payment frequency selector tool to change the paymentfrequency from monthly to bi-weekly (or any other potential option).This is beneficial to many consumers because matching the payment cycleto paycheck cycle eases budgeting, since larger payments are frequentlyseparated into many smaller payments in order to make cars appear lessexpensive, and to help them judge or coordinate with there paycheckfrequency, etc. After a payment frequency change, the ECDU re-computesthe pricing grid. After selecting a payment option (term and downpayment) for these alternative payment frequencies, the ECDUautomatically adds additional screens, as required, to execute fully theterms and disclosures associated with these alternative payment plans,collect cancelled check for routing the payments, etc.

Typically, the financing stage of a car sale is an iterative process.Suppose the consumer either cannot afford any of the purchase options onthe loan screen or is just curious about leasing. After selecting the“Switch to Lease Grid” button on the bottom left of the screen, the ECDUwill now compute payment values on-the-fly for various lease terms anddown payment amounts using payment calculation engines (or tables)located in the ECDU, on the F&I system, on the DMS system, and/or onexternal computer resources. FIG. 55 shows the lease payment option gridscreen of one embodiment. If the consumer sees a payment option (termand down payment) that is adequate, the consumer selects the appropriatesquare from the grid and proceeds through the rest of ECDU session. Aswith the loan screen, the user can change the frequency of the paymentsusing the payment frequency selector tool. After changing the frequency,the ECDU can then re-compute the payment grid.

If the user wishes to compare the loan payment options to the leasepayment options, the “Compare Loan/Lease” button is selected. FIG. 57shows the Loan/Lease payment comparison screen of one embodiment. Thisscreen shows a grid of payment options computed by the ECDU (asdiscussed above) showing the loan and lease payment amounts for eachterm. The number in the top right of each grid is the lease amount andthe number in the lower left is the loan amount. This screen isinformational; the user cannot select a payment option on this screen.If none of these payment amounts are acceptable, the user can select the“Return to Pkg Items” button to return to the Platinum package screen tochange his selected package items. Assuming that one of these paymentamounts is acceptable, the user can select one of the “Switch to . . . ”buttons on the bottom row to bring up the desired screen. If the userselects, “Switch to Cash Grid”, the ECDU displays the cash purchaseconfirmation screen, seen in FIG. 56.

If one of these payment amounts and terms is not acceptable to theconsumer, such as, for example, if the payment is now too high due toselection of multiple add-on menu products, the consumer can select the‘Make Offer” tool to negotiate with a remote participant, who may be thebusiness director of the dealership. The “Make Offer” tool can beaccessed at any time via a tool drop down or similar button. FIG. 111shows a preferred embodiment of the “Make Offer” screen, illustratingwhere a customer has written his offer in the stylus input area 522using the stylus. He authenticates his offer either with a signature inthe signature capture zone 523 or by use of the acceptance biometricreader 516. After pressing send, his offer is relayed to the remoteparticipant. The remote participant is linked into the ECDU session andcan study all of the information already captured by the ECDU inpreparing an acceptance, rejection, or counter offer. The videoconferencing tools, represented at 524, allow the remote participant tobe visible on the ECDU. The remote participant either accepts or rejectsthe offer or sends back a counter offer as shown in the counter offerarea in FIG. 111. The consumer can accept or decline of the counteroffer. If it is declined using the decline biometric reader 513, thescreen resets so that the consumer can make a new offer. FIG. 111 alsoshows the camera 521 and speaker 517 discussed in detail above.

For the embodiment of this illustration, assume the consumer chooses tolease the vehicle, due to the low payment amounts, and returns to theLease grid screen, seen in FIG. 55. The consumer simply selects the gridcontaining the payment amount acceptable and the ECDU continues thesales process.

In alternate embodiments, the scanning pen with special location codedforms is used to handle the package menuing and payment grid selections.The embodiment of FIG. 58 shows a dealership package menu printed onspecial location coded paper. The customer can select the start box withthe scanning pen to begin the form. If unique coded patterns are used,the scanning pen can recognize the form without the need for firstselecting the start form box. Even though this is a paper form, thecustomer has several interactive ECDU functions available. The customercan select the information trigger tools next to the package items tosee a multimedia informational tutorial (e.g. ad, video, graphicaldisplays) about the package item on the ECDU screen. The customer canselect the help tool box and then select any word or item to see aglossary lookup on the ECDU screen. The customer can use the info toolbox (top right) to request informational videos for any word or item onthe screen (if available). This info tool box is especially useful oncontracts and disclosure forms where the inclusion of many informationtrigger tool box into the text would clutter the form. The user can usethe payment type, frequency and number of payments boxes to change theterms. After changing the terms, the new package prices are shown on theECDU screen. The user can confirm the final selected terms by enteringthe monthly payment into the payment fields. The user selects thedesired package (e.g. platinum, gold or silver) by checking theappropriate box with the scanning pen. The customer then confirms thepackage items by checking the various package item selection boxes.After completing the selection package, the customer signs the form inthe customer signature box with the scanning pen and checks the done box(in the bottom right). If the user writes too much on the form or fillsit out improperly, the business employee can give the customer a newsheet or the ECDU can print another.

The embodiment of FIG. 59 shows a lease payment grid printed onspecially coded paper. The ECDU can query the relevant F&I or otherdealership computers to compute a lease (and/or loan or cash) paymentgrid for the car with the chosen set of packages. This lease paymentform also contains the start form, tools (help and info) and the donebox. In general, these or similar tools are found on each speciallycoded paper form. The customer can chose a down payment amount and leaseterm by studying the table of monthly payments. The customer chooses amonthly payment that is satisfactory by selecting the check box with thescanning pen in the desired table square. The user can requestinteractive ECDU tutorial videos by selecting the information triggertool symbols associated with for example down payment and/or leaseterms. Also, the user can request interactive glossary lookups using thehelp box or other tutorial videos by selecting the info box with thescanning pen. After completing the lease payment terms selection, thecustomer signs the form in the customer signature box with the scanningpen and checks the done box (in the bottom right). If the user wishes topurchase the vehicle with a loan, the business employee can give thecustomer a form that contains monthly payments for a loan instead. Ifthe user writes too much on the form, the business employee can give thecustomer a new sheet or the ECDU can print another. If all of themonthly payments are unacceptable on the lease or loan payment gridforms, the customer can return to the package selection form to chooseless costly options.

In an alternate embodiment, the ECDU can display the lease, loan or cashpurchase options on the ECDU screen. The customer can switch betweenscreens until he settles on an acceptable combination of packageoptions, down payment, term and type. The embodiment of FIG. 60 is usedby the consumer to indicate the chosen method of purchase by selectingthe appropriate selection box next to lease, loan or cash. If thepurchase type is lease or loan, the consumer can handwrite the selectednumber of payments, amount of down payment and monthly payment amountsfrom the ECDU screen onto the terms entry fields. After completingpayment selection form, the customer signs the form in the customersignature box with the scanning pen and checks the done box (in thebottom right). If the user writes too much on the form or otherwisefills it out improperly, the business employee can give the customer anew sheet or the ECDU can print another.

In these embodiments, the ECDU is recording the entire session. Therecord session logs show that the consumer was offered the option to paycash or finance as a lease or loan, record which informational videos orglossary lookups were selected, etc. In one embodiment, the ECDU recordsless than entire session.

After package item selection and determination of method of purchase,the ECDU can display the Motor Vehicle Lease Agreement screen, as seenin the embodiment of FIG. 61, for a lease deal or a similar screen for aloan or a straight purchase. The purpose of this screen is largelyinformational. The current Date and Time are displayed predominatelyusing the Emphasis Tool. The Emphasis Tool is a functionality of theECDU to show important information using a combination of larger fonts,bold, color, blinking or other graphical means. Also shown are specificform numbers for the contract and disclosures statements to be displayedduring the ECDU session. The list of disclosure statements isautomatically determined from the selected package items, etc. The userindicates agreement with this information using the AGREE fingerprintreader while the camera records the event.

FIG. 61 also shows the Progression Tool. The Progression Tool shows agraphic description of the stages of the contract and disclosuresession. As each stage is completed the next box is shaded or colored toindicate stage completion. The progression tool is shown simply as a rowof boxes in the embodiment of FIG. 61. Alternatively, each stage of thecontract and disclosure session can be represented with a graphicalicon. As each stage is successfully completed, each icon may forinstance, turn green. For declined stages, the declined, stage icon isturned red. Once all stages are completed (all boxes or icons) and eachicon has turned green, the consumer is allowed to proceed to contractcompletion. The progression tool can be used as a roadmap to the ECDUsession allowing the user to jump around between sections by selectingthe boxes (or icons) with the stylus. The ECDU manages the order ofexecution, to ensure the user executes the contract/disclosures in theproper order.

After validating the time & date, the ECDU displays the parties to thelease agreement screen, as seen in the embodiment of FIG. 62. Again, theEmphasis Tool is used to highlight the important information. Thisscreen demonstrates the use of the Comprehension Tool. The purpose ofthe Comprehension Tool is to quiz the user on critical information onthe screen. On FIG. 18, the Comprehension Tool asks the user to confirmhis Name and Street. Moreover, the Read Tool is being utilized to askthe user verbally to confirm his Name and Street. The user indicates hisagreement using the AGREE fingerprint reader while the camera recordsthe event.

The embodiment of FIG. 63 shows the Lessee Record of Identificationscreen. The purpose of this screen is to get the user to confirmcritical information (e.g. name, address, SSN), to confirm his capturedphoto, and to capture his signature. Specifically, this screendemonstrates the use of the Signature Capture tool. The purchaser cansign the tablet display using the stylus pen. The ECDU captures thesignature and displays it on the tablet display inside the signaturecapture zone. Finally, the user validates the information displayed, thephoto, and the signature by swiping the AGREE fingerprint reader withhis finger while the camera records the event.

The next screen, showing the embodiment of FIG. 64, is the Vehiclesummary screen. Again, the Emphasis Tool is used to indicate importantinformation. In this screen, this information is the specific vehiclemake/year, VIN #, etc. Also, the photo tool is used to display arepresentative or actual picture of the specific vehicle. Moreover, theComprehension Tool is used on this screen. The user is being asked ifthis is the correct vehicle. The user indicates his agreement using theAGREE fingerprint reader while the camera captures the event.

The next screen, FIG. 65, is the Payment summary screen. This screenuses the emphasis tool to highlight the important information (e.g.amount due at signing, number of payments, monthly payment, etc). Again,the comprehension tool is used to ask the user if these are the correctterms. The user indicates his agreement using the AGREE fingerprintreader while the camera captures the event.

FIG. 66 illustrates the Pen Acknowledgement Tool of one embodiment. ThePen Acknowledgment Tool is another means used to ensure the user hasread and understands important information. In FIG. 66, the ECDU asksthe user to circle the number of payments using the stylus pen. The PenAcknowledgement Tool can capture the users circling of the number ofpayments. If the user fails to circle the correct information, then theECDU can prompt the user to try again. Alternately, the user can say thenumber of payments and the microphone captures and verifies the responseto ensure the consumer understands. In various embodiments, the cameracaptures the event to document that the user and not someone else wasusing the stylus.

FIG. 109 illustrates the use of perspective adjusted fonts.Occasionally, ECDU users will be viewing the ECDU at angles far fromperpendicular. As the angle increases, the apparent size of text on thescreen shrinks. One approach to increase readability at high viewingangles is to increase the height of the fonts by 1/cos(angle fromperpendicular). For example, if a user is viewing the screen at 45degrees from normal 1/cos(45 deg)=1.4142 which equates to a 41.4%increase in the font height as shown at 512 in FIG. 109. In practice, anassumed average user angle is determined and the default perspectiveadjusted font is created. During ECDU sessions, the user can adjust theamount of perspective adjustment using the tool menu. In anotherembodiment, the line width of the font is adjusted to enhancereadability in high angle viewing. For example, the line width is madefatter at the top of each letter and thinner at the bottom to compensatefor viewing distance differences. Also shown in FIG. 109 are the camera511, the speaker 517, the microphone 514, and the reject and acceptbiometric fingerprint readers 513 and 516 respectively.

FIG. 67 illustrates the Emphasis Bubble Tool. The ECDU is disclosing theprovider of the extended warranty and the important terms using both theEmphasis Tool and the Emphasis Bubble Tool. The Emphasis Bubble Toolshows the user that he is not required to purchase an extended warranty.The user is asked to verify that the terms are correct and that he stillwishes to purchase the extended warranty using the appropriatefingerprint reader. The customer confirms his continued desire topurchase the extended warranty by using the AGREE fingerprint readerwhile the camera captures the event.

If the customer has changed his mind about the warranty, he can indicateDISAGREE using the DISAGREE fingerprint reader. After indication ofdisagreement (or rejection), the current ECDU session is aborted and thecustomer is returned to the package selection screen, shown in FIG. 52.In general, the customer selects DISAGREE to indicate rejection of acontract term.

The ECDU session continues, as seen in the embodiment of FIG. 68, byhighlighting the important terms of the extended warranty and asking theuser to confirm that he understands these terms. The customer validatesthese terms using the AGREE fingerprint reader while the camera capturesthe event. FIG. 68 also illustrates the use of the Video AD tool. In theupper right hand corner is a display window where a video can be shownto the user to highlight the features and further sell the warrantypackage. These videos are advertisements from simple text, graphicalaids, and/or multimedia presentations. For example, they can bepromotional videos, brochures, combinational graphics, web pages,feature comparisons, etc.

One important feature of the ECDU is the inclusion of disclosurestatements. For example, the customer can both lease a vehicle andpurchase an extended warranty. The extended warranty also has adisclosure statement showing terms, conditions, etc. FIG. 69 shows thefirst screen of a warranty disclosure statement. The Pop-up GlossaryTool is available on all screens. The Pop-up Glossary Tool allows theuser to obtain definitions of terms displayed on the ECDU by selectingthe word with the stylus. FIG. 69 illustrates the Pop-up Glossary Toolproviding the customer with the definition of the word “Powertrain.” Thecustomer validates that he has read each screen using the AGREEfingerprint reader while the camera captures the event.

As mentioned previously, the combination of tools can be a powerfulcomponent of various ECDU embodiments. For example, FIG. 70 illustratesthe combination of the glossary tool and the language translation tool.This figure shows the Pop-up Glossary Tool displaying the definition of“Powertrain” in both English and the Spanish (i.e. the selectedalternate language).

The methodical display of disclosures to the consumer is a key featureof the ECDU. FIG. 71 shows the Sweep and Reveal Tool being usedmethodically to display the terms and conditions of the extendedwarranty. The sweep and reveal tool begins with all text being in agrayed-out state. As the dealership employee swipes each section withthe stylus, the ECDU changes the section back to its non-grayed outstate, and the dealership employee explains that section to theconsumer. The ECDU captures and records the employee's description usingthe microphone.

In general, the fine print of the warranty is displayed across severalscreens. FIG. 72, shows the second screen of the warranty disclosure.For vision impaired consumers, the enlarge tool is provided. As shown inFIG. 72, the enlarge tool allows the user to enlarge sections of thescreen by moving around the enlarge window. The customer validates thathe has read each screen using the AGREE fingerprint reader while thecamera captures the event.

Occasionally during the ECDU session, the consumer will ask thedealership employee for assistance or additional explanation. Theembodiment of FIG. 73 illustrates the use of the top/down split pentool. The top/down split pen tool switches the screen into two viewingareas: one for the consumer in the usual orientation, and a flippedversion at the top for the dealership employee. Any highlighting of textby the dealership employee is shown in both viewing areas. FIG. 73 showsthe dealership employee highlighting the words “weather conditions” withthe stylus pen and these words are being highlighted in both views. Allstylus inputs from both consumer and dealership employee are logged inthe ECDU session and displayed on both sides of the split screen. Thistop/down split screen tool can be implemented to work with dual pens orsingle stylus pen. In a single stylus pen embodiment, the ECDU infersthe pen user from stylus location and records the actual user with thecamera. In a dual stylus pen embodiment, which pen is assigned toconsumer and employee can be inferred from usage or be pre-assigned.

If the consumer has selected a language other the English, then the ECDUtop/down split screen tool shows the consumer screen in Spanish (or oneof the other available languages) while the employee screen is inEnglish (default language), as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 74. Anywords highlighted by the employee, for example “weather conditions”, areshown in both viewing areas. The ECDU underlines the most appropriateportion of the translated text.

In an alternate embodiment, a tandem set of ECDUs can be utilized asshown in FIG. 75. One ECDU is used by the consumer and the other by thedealership (or business) employee. The ECDUs are connected using eitherwireless adapters or are directly wired together. In the tandemembodiment, stylus usage on one screen can be mirrored to the secondscreen. For example, this allows the dealership employee to read alongand/or highlight important regions. All stylus inputs from both consumerand dealership employee are logged in the ECDU session. In an alternateembodiment, a second ECDU located remotely is linked to a local ECDUforming the tandem pair. In this embodiment, the remote ECDU gives theremote participant full ECDU interactivity in the CTV. For example,remote participants can use the tablet display and stylus to participatein the ECDU session. The use of a remote ECDU is superior to using aremote computer because the ECDU provides services such asauthentication, sound and video recording, signature and hand writingcapture interactivity via the tablet display and stylus, etc. Forexample, both local and remote participants can sign the same contract.FIG. 102 illustrates the usage of a tandem pair of ECDUs illustrated at401 and 402 for remote training. Due to the high rates of dealershippersonnel turn-over, training of personnel is a continuing need and ahigh cost of business. The remote ECDU allows a remote trainer to bevirtually present to do ECDU training of dealership personnel. Forexample, ECDU video conferencing can allow the remote trainer to haveface-to-face communication.

Another alternate ECDU station 12 embodiment is the ECDU 10 integratedwith a desktop computer 392 with tandem ECDU software as shown in FIG.76. The tandem software allows the desktop computer to set up andadminister the ECDU session. Desktop computers are already in usage inthe F&I department of dealership. In this embodiment, software on thedesktop computer provides the dealership employee a view of theconsumers ECDU session. Also, shown in FIG. 76 is an external wirelesscamera 391. The ECDU can interface this camera using the wirelessadapter. For example, the external camera 391 is used to record allparties to the transaction along with the setting. In addition, the ECDUcan adjust the lighting in the room via wireless or wired interfaces toan appropriate light-control unit. For example, at ECDU sessioninitiation, the ECDU might dim the lighting in the room to enhance thedocument viewing via reduction of glare from overhead lighting. The ECDUin FIG. 76 is a tablet display based ECDU (shown) with printer 71, or adigitizer grid ECDU, or an ultrasonic digitizer grid ECDU, or a speciallocation coded paper document & scanning pen ECDU, or other ECDUembodiment. FIG. 76 also slows the location of a customer 394 and abusiness employee 396 who occupy the CTV 11.

FIG. 77 shows the ability of the ECDU to display translations of acontract. Assuming that the customer indicated Spanish during languageselection on the initialization screen, then each screen can be toggledbetween English and Spanish using the language toggle tool located inthe bottom center of the screen. Specifically, FIG. 77 shows the secondpage of the warranty disclosure in Spanish, and the language toggle toolbutton is used to toggle back to English.

FIGS. 78 and 79 show the split-screen dual language display capabilityof the ECDU. The left hand side of the screen is displayed in Englishwhile the corresponding translation (e.g. Spanish) is shown on the righthand side. Also, which language is on which side is changed depending onuser feedback.

As mentioned above, the ECDU has the capability to use audio to conveythe information on a screen to the customer. FIG. 80 illustrates thisaudio output process. The ECDU outputs each word sequentially using theSpeaker while indicating which word is being output with a highlightingbox. This highlighted box process is very similar to children's singalong tapes, or Karaoke machines. This read-out-loud capability whencombined with the language translation tools allows the ECDU to outputaudio in user selected languages. Also, portions of the screen arehighlighted with stylus to prompt the ECDU to output audio version ofthese phrases again.

During the ECDU session, the ECDU records time stamps in one embodiment.These time stamps allow the ECDU to compute how much time as been spentreading the information on a screen. If the customer spends too littletime, the ECDU displays a Time Warning Screen, as seen in the embodimentof FIG. 81, letting the customer know that it is important for him/herto read all of the information and that he didn't spend enough time onthis screen. The ECDU records the issuance of this Time Warning Screenin the ECDU session history. The amount of time required for eachsection are set to a fixed value or be adjusted for each consumer usinga comprehension factor measured during routine sections such backgroundquestions.

Upon completion of the warranty term disclosures, the ECDU can confirmthat the customer still wishes to purchase the extended warranty, asshown in FIG. 82. The customer validates his continued agreement usingthe AGREE fingerprint reader while the camera captures the event. FIG.82 also shows the use of the Video Conference Tool. In the top righthand corner, the video conference window is shown for connecting to livehelp. For example, if the user is still confused on some aspects of thedisclosures or has questions in general. The full audio and video ofthis help session would be stored in the ECDU session record.

At the end of the warranty disclosure, the Warranty Agreement screen isdisplayed, see FIG. 83. This screen shows the user's Name and Addressusing the Emphasis Tool and prompts the customer to acknowledge theterms of the contract using the Signature Capture tool. After signingthe tablet display with the stylus pen, the customer validates hissignature using the AGREE fingerprint reader while the camera capturesthe event.

Typically the ECDU displays multiple disclosures to the customer. FIG.84 shows an odometer disclosure statement. Odometer disclosurestatements are required by federal and/or state law. The ECDU displaysthe relevant odometer information; e.g., current mileage, purchasersname, vehicle year/make and VIN number. As illustrated in the embodimentof FIG. 84, the odometer disclosure can use the emphasis tool toindicate the most important information, and the signature capture toolis used to capture the user's signature. FIG. 84 also shows theInformational Video Tool. This tool is used to incorporate movie (audioand video) explanations. For example on this screen the informationalvideo can explain the legal requirements behind this disclosure. Aftersigning the tablet display with the stylus pen, the customer validateshis signature using the AGREE fingerprint reader while the cameracaptures the event.

FIG. 85 shows the consumer credit disclosure. This disclosure informsthe consumer about which sources of credit information were queried andwhat credit score information was used in credit evaluation process. Inaddition, this disclosure informs the consumer that the dealership is infact being compensated for processing the loan by a interest ratemargin. Typically, the dealership is paid a lump sum amount computedusing present value calculations for the difference between the “buyrate” and the “actual rate.” The user is asked to acknowledge that hehas read and understood this form by using the appropriate fingerprintreader.

In alternate embodiments, the various disclosures (e.g. odometer,manufacturers state of origin (MSO), tag & title, credit life, gapinsurance, road hazard, extended warranty, insurance policy, etc.) areprinted on specially coded paper for use with the scanning pen. Thesedisclosures contain the usual start, tools (e.g. help and/or info), donetools along with placement of information trigger tools near key termsto indicate that interactive, tutorial videos are available ifrequested.

Upon completion of the disclosures, the ECDU returns to the LeaseAgreement Summary screen, shown in FIG. 86. This screen displays asummary of the main lease terms; e.g. Number of payments, amount ofpayment, amount due at signing, etc. The user signs the screenindicating his acceptance of the lease. After signing the tablet displaywith the stylus pen, the customer validates his signature using theAGREE fingerprint reader while the camera captures the event.

To complete the lease agreement, usually both parties need to sign. FIG.87 shows the Lessor Signature screen of one embodiment. The signaturecapture tool records the dealer's signature. After signing the tabletdisplay with the stylus pen, the lessor validates his signature usingthe AGREE fingerprint reader while the camera captures the event.

The ECDU outputs a hardcopy version of the contract and disclosures,shown in FIGS. 88 and 89, using the embedded printer or availablenetwork printers. The hardcopy includes the user's fingerprint orrepresentative code for privacy after each validated section, hisphotograph and signature when captured. This hardcopy is provided forthe archival use of the customer and when required by federal, statelaw, and/or business practices. On the top right hand corner of the lastpage of the hardcopy is printed a 4 digit code.

The ECDU hardcopy verification screen is displayed after generating thehardcopy, as seen in the embodiment of FIG. 90. This screen asks thecustomer to enter the number from the top right hand corner of the lastpage of the hardcopy. This process of requiring the customer to enterthis number is proof that he/she received the hardcopy. After enteringthe validation code, the customer validates this entry using the AGREEfingerprint reader while the camera captures the event. In otherembodiments, signature or voice validation are substituted for afingerprint reader if desired. Additionally, the camera is used to takea picture of the consumer with the hardcopy. Specifically, this hardcopyis a complete set of contract and all of the relevant disclosures.

In practice, this hardcopy verification code is greater or less than 4digits, and can be alphanumeric or contain any enterable characters.Moreover, this verification code can be any machine readable symbol thatcan be read automatically by a scanner and then validated with theuser's fingerprint.

In other embodiment, a custom book is compiled for each customer. Thebook includes the necessary subset of ECDU records in a very convenientformat. In addition, the book also contains other useful information,such as contact information, service schedules, coupons, advertisements,etc. FIG. 103 shows one possible embodiment of such a custom book. Thecover may be customized with, for instance, customer name, and vehiclephoto, a table of contents gives the page number of each item in thebook, a dealer letter thanking customer for their business, a dealsummary page including payment details, each executed contract and itsdisclosures, detailed warranty of the vehicle and purchased add-onproducts, product information on purchased add-ons, service schedulesfor the vehicle, coupons for regular maintenance, advertisements fornon-selected add-ons, a glossary of relevant terms, an index and a backcover. The authentication codes for the completed individual documentsand/or of the overall ECDU session are printed on the back cover toprovide the consumer with a written record of these authenticationcodes. The authentication codes also are printed on any other printoutssuch as those illustrated in FIG. 88 and FIG. 89. The pages in bookshown in FIG. 103 preferably are consecutively numbered. The binding canbe as simple as a staple or more involved such as spiral bound, GBC,etc. In another embodiment, dividers may be placed between major itemsin the custom book such as, for example, between each contract andassociated disclosures. This custom book is an improvement over thecurrent industry standard of giving each customer impact printed,carbonless copies of various size and shaped contracts and disclosuresthat are folded and slipped into a large envelope with no order or dealspecific supporting information.

In addition to providing a hardcopy, the customer can receive a softcopystored in a portable memory device using one of the many memory stick oruniversal ports, or onto a personal electronic device using one of themany interface, networking or universal ports. Also, the CD/DVD writercan be used to provide the customer with a full copy of the session inan removable, archival format.

In addition to the customer's hardcopy, the ECDU can output a ECDUsession hardcopy for archival use by the dealership, as seen in theembodiment of FIG. 91. This hardcopy includes other data that isarchived in the full ECDU session record; e.g., the time stamp of eachscreen completion, the user's signature, photo, fingerprint and/orrepresentative code, bio feedback (e.g. pulse), etc. Also, shown in alog format indicating that continuous audio/video was recorded, the userused the glossary for certain words, etc.

In alternate ECDU embodiments, such as seen in FIGS. 19 and 20, thescanning pen is used to execute the contracts and disclosures in placeof the tablet & stylus. After completing the menuing and grid process,the ECDU or the dealership computers can print the contract anddisclosures with the special location coding symbols required by thescanning pen. Either the paper or forms are pre-encoded with the speciallocation coding symbols or the printer directly prints the symbols alongwith the forms. FIG. 91 shows a schematic illustration of a printedcontract. The first page contains the language of the contract andrequires the user's signature at the bottom of the page. The secondpage, shown on the right in the figure, shows the required disclosures.This second page is often printed on the back of the contract. Eachdisclosure requires the user to initial that the terms were read andunderstood. Even though these are traditional paper based forms, theECDU system is still capable of interactive operation. If the customerselected the information icon (e.g. pentagon with character i), thescanning pen relays this selection to the ECDU and the ECDU displays therelevant information tutorial for that section of the contract ordisclosure. After viewing the tutorial, the customer can continue toexecute the contract and disclosures. Also, at the top of each page is arow of other special function icons. After selecting the help icon, thescanning pen enters help mode. In help mode, the next selection isrelayed to the ECDU for glossary lookup. The selection of the Info iconwith the scanning pen causes the ECDU to enter info mode. In info mode,the next selection is relayed to the ECDU for tutorial videopresentation (if available). After completion of a page, the userselects the done icon (shown on the bottom right of the page) and thescanning pen relays that the user is done with this page to the ECDU. Ifthe customer wants to redo a screen, he may select the start icon (shownon the top right of the page). Depending on the way the special symbolsare encoded on to the pages, each page can have a unique pattern andsimply selecting an area on a previous or new sheet of the contract issufficient.

The embodiment of FIG. 92 shows a schematic illustration of a contractand disclosure printed on a pre-printed form. The pre-printed form caneither already include the special coded symbols or the printer canprint them along with the text. At the top of FIG. 92, the pages eachcontain special form track tabs that are occasional useful for aligningpre-printed forms into printers. Typically, impact printers are usedwith multiple page pre-printed carbonless duplicator forms, and in thiscase, the special location code symbols are pre-printed with the rest ofthe form.

FIGS. 93 and 94 show non-location-coded paper-based contracts anddisclosures. The paper-based documents are completed using the ECDUembodiments shown in FIGS. 25, 26, and 27. While FIGS. 93 and 94 showcontracts and disclosure, non-location-coded paper-based creditapplications, and non-location-coded paper-based menuing can also becompleted using ECDU embodiments shown in FIGS. 25, 26 and 27.

The embodiment of FIG. 93 shows a schematic illustration of a contractand disclosure printed on paper. At the top of the figure, a machinereadable (e.g. barcode) form identifier is included. This identifier isused in the paper-based ECDU embodiments to identify correctly whichform is being executed at a give time in the session. Printers (e.g.laser printers) are used to print such contracts and disclosures.

The embodiment of FIG. 94 shows a schematic illustration of a contractand disclosure printed on pre-printed paper. At the top of the figure, amachine readable (e.g. barcode) form identifier is included. Alignmentholes are located on the top to aid in the consistent placement of thedocument. The printer prints the deal specific information (car make,yin, price, etc.) on the various lines or areas on the pre-printeddocuments. Printers (e.g. laser printers) are used to print suchcontracts and disclosures.

The embodiment of FIG. 95 is a schematic illustration of a contract anddisclosure printed on paper in multiple languages. Each section of thedocument is printed in the main language (e.g. English) and also in thechosen secondary language (e.g. Spanish). The user can initial one boxin each section indicating which language version he/she wanted to beread. The ECDU ensures that at least one box is initialed in eachsection.

In the many embodiments, the ECDU via the stylus and/or scanning pensrecords the order that portions of the contract and/or disclosure arecompleted. This progression of signing data is important; that is, formany contracts and/or disclosures there is a required order ofexecution. For example, the customer must initial all sections and signvarious disclosures before signing the overall contract. Commonly inpractice, some section initials are missed and the business employeeprompts the user to correct the omission after the overall contract wassigned. The capability of the various ECDU embodiments eliminates thispossibility. In the stylus pen embodiments, the ECDU can notify the uservia vibration, buzzing, chirping, verbalizing STOP, displaying a warningscreen, etc if the user is attempting to complete the contract and/ordisclosure out of order. Similarly, in alternate scanning penembodiments, the location of initials and signature capture fields alongwith order of completion information is preloaded into the scanning penprior to contract and/or disclosure execution. As the user executes thepaper-based forms with the scanning pen, the pen records the location ofany initials and/or signing events. For wireless scanning pens, thescanning pen is in frequent communication with the main ECDU processorto allow the progression of signing data to be correlated with properorder information. For scanning pens that require a docking port, thescanning pen locally compares progress of the contract/disclosureexecution to ensure that the contract is being properly executed. Whenany deviation from procedure occurs, the scanning pen, buzzes, vibrates,chirps, verbalizes STOP, etc.

At completion of the ECDU session, an authentication code is generatedfor the complete session record. This authentication code is essentiallya digital fingerprint of the competed session. The authentication codeat a minimum is stored along with the completed session. However, allparties to the transaction also may wish to store the authenticationcode. This allows all parties to verify that the session was not changedor altered at a later date and allows each participant to verify theauthenticity of the completed session.

Also at the completion of the ECDU session, a authentication code isgenerated and stored for each document template used during the session.This list of authentication codes provides a quick method of ensuringthat the proper, unaltered documents were used during the session. Forexample, if a disclosure of one of the contracts was changedintentionally or not, the authentication code of the document templatewould detect the change. This is needed because with electroniccontracts and disclosures, parties are naturally worried thatterms/conditions can be altered before or after the deal without theirknowledge or any method to identify or determine that a changedoccurred.

After completing the ECDU session, the ECDU transmits the completesession record, i.e. executed contract and disclosures along with othercaptured session data (fingerprints, photos, etc.) through the internetto the data repository. The data repository receives and stores thecomplete session in a secure database. The data repository alsonormalizes and formats the data if needed. Finally, the session data ismade available in whole or in part to any authorized data repositoryuser (i.e. financial institutions, contract parties, credit bureaus,etc.). In one embodiment, FIG. 96 shows the track layers of a sampleECDU session. As shown in figure, during the ECDU session some ECDUdevices capture data continuously (e.g. microphone, camera, . . . ),while other ECDU devices capture data at key instants in time (e.g.biometric fingerprint readers, stylus data, etc.). Session logs asillustrated in FIG. 96 provide the ability for a session to be virtuallyreplayed. For example, sales training personnel can replay parts of thesession where sales are not being made to see if employee techniqueneeds improving, marketing personnel can replay parts of the sessionwere marketing graphics/movies are being presented to study consumerreaction, employee presentation technique, etc.

In one embodiment, metrics are extracted and compared across multipleECDU sessions to improve the sales process and efficiency. FIG. 97 showsan ECDU product analysis metrics summary for a selected product acrossmultiple ECDU session. Comparison of metrics across ECDU sessions allowsone to see anomalies and/or trends. For example, if a salesman is notspending a sufficient amount of time talking about the product and/orusing the stylus to illustrate key points. This can lead to targetedtraining to improve any employee weaknesses. Also, study of these metricsummaries provides an audit trail that all the sales tools are beingused on the sales that didn't happen, etc. Consumer eye focus data showswhether the quality of the graphics and/or multi-media presentationsneeds improvements. Finally, when sales times and attention metrics arehigh and sales continue to lag then most likely product improvements areindicated.

FIG. 98 describes the functionality of the script builder in oneembodiment. Script builder is a generic term for the capability togenerate the electronic format files that the interpreter in the ECDUcan run. At a high level, the script builder can either edit existingscripts or create new scripts. The script builder consists of a largeset of tools (shown on the right in the figure) that are useful inediting and creating new scripts. For example, import text tools areavailable for importing existing text based contracts. Moreover, an autoformat tool is available for quickly breaking imported text into ECDUscreen size chunks. As shown in the figure, the script builder hasvarious tools for adding the ECDU functionalities to the contract anddisclosure.

The scripts that the script builder creates are EXE files compiled fromhigher level languages (e.g. Visual Basic, Visual C, Java, etc.) in oneembodiment, or are HTML (e.g. tagged ASCII text) in another embodiment.

The ECDU runs contracts and disclosures by interpreting the electronicformat as seen in the embodiment of FIG. 99. As discussed above, theelectronic format typical is binary executables compiled from VisualBasic (or other high level languages) or is text scripts containingASCII text and tags. The interpreter reads in these electronic files,processes them, and displays the information one screen-full at a timeon the ECDU display. These electronic format files contain instructionsto use the various ECDU tools; i.e. Emphasis Tool, Emphasis Bubble Tool,Pop-Up Glossary Tool, Signature Capture Tool, Fingerprint Capture Tool,etc.

Specifically, FIG. 99 shows a HTML-like tag approach where the scriptfiles contain ASCII text and tags. In this case, the interpreter is verysimilar to the HTML interpreters that exist in web browsers. In fact,the ECDU application software is implemented (in whole or in part) as aweb based application available through web browsers in one embodiment.An alternative embodiment, script files are used in EXE format. TheseEXE files are “interpreted” by OS. Sub-scripts could be other EXE or DLLfiles that are called by the main script and loaded using the OS.

FIG. 100 illustrates the evolution of an Electronic Contract andDisclosure (ECD) in one embodiment. The top row of the Figure shows themain flow of the document. Starting on the left, the ECD is created (orupdated), posted, downloaded, completed by the customer using the ECDU,stored in whole, and made available to both parties in various formats.The bottom row shows a secondary evolution. After, the ECD is completedby the customer using the ECDU, the captured data with fields is stored,ancillary data is added (e.g. no call list information), data is cleanedand normalized (e.g. abbreviations expanded, etc), stored for analysis(e.g. Pattern analysis discussed below, see FIG. 101) and used forfollow-up and add on services.

For example, the ECDU can output the completed ECD with captured andrecorded data in either a single, multi-media record or multiplerecords. Moreover, these records can stored in a secure databasearchitecture either locally or in a central data repository.

Over time, the data repository builds up multiple records of purchasesessions for a given consumer, shown in the embodiment of FIG. 101.Relevant comparisons to these stored session datasets can prove valuablein many ways. For example, identity fraud is obvious, when thefingerprint data doesn't approximately match the many previously storedversions, the photo doesn't resemble the previous versions, and thesignature may not be very close either. Still another example, if theuser's pulse or other biometric feedback data is not similar to previousvalues then perhaps he was under undue stress (i.e. high pressuresales). Furthermore, inconsistent location information, e.g. buying bigticket items away from home, might be an indicator of fraud. In anotherexample, if the consumer claims that the terms weren't fully disclosed,then comparison with historic disclosure rates is used to show that hestudied this contract as closely as he studied previous ones. Thesetypes of relative comparisons are enabled by the ECDU system describedin this document. Thus, this database for a given user can benefit bothparties in future disputes.

The database of stored ECDU sessions also has other benefits. Analysisof how and which products were offered, how many products were sold,effectiveness of static ads and ad videos, and how many and which typeof vehicles sold have value. Also, real-time data to suppliersindicating what type of vehicles are being sold and in which area areused to adjust delivery and manufacturing schedules.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for managing a business transactionrequiring at least the presentation of documents by at least one firstuser and the signing of documents on at least one page thereof by atleast one second user, the system comprising: a housing having asubstantially flat upper surface, the housing being sized and configuredfor placement between the first user and the second user with the uppersurface being oriented generally horizontally and being accessible bythe first user and by the second user; a digitizing display within thehousing and visible through the upper surface of the housing, thedigitizing display including a video display on which images of pages ofdocuments can be displayed and a digitizer configured to detect motionof at least one stylus on the upper surface of the housing; acollaborative volume defined above the upper surface of the housing andwithin which the first user and the second user interact with each otherand with the digitizing display during a business transaction; acomputer operatively coupled to the digitizing display; software in thecomputer that, when executed, displays images of pages of documentsassociated with the business transaction on the video display andreceives and interprets motion of the at least one stylus on the uppersurface of the housing; the software, when executed, permitting pages ofdocuments associated with the business transaction to be displayed inone orientation for the first user and to be displayed in a differentorientation for the second user; and an audio system coupled to thecomputer, the audio system being configured to produce sounds during abusiness transaction from at least one location displaced from the videodisplay, the at least one location being selected such that the sourceof the sounds appears to the first and second users to be generally fromwithin the collaborative volume during the business transaction.
 2. Asystem as claimed in claim 1 wherein the audio system produces soundsduring a business transaction from at least a first location adjacentone side of the video display.
 3. A system as claimed in claim 2 whereinthe audio system produces sounds during a business transaction from thefirst location and at least a second location adjacent another side ofthe video display.
 4. A system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the secondlocation is on an opposite side of the video display from the firstlocation.
 5. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the audio systemcomprises a speaker in the housing at the first location.
 6. A system asclaimed in claim 5 wherein the audio system further comprises a speakerin the housing at the second location.
 7. A system as claimed in claim 1wherein the audio system comprises at least one speaker in the housing.8. A system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the audio system comprises atleast two speakers in the housing.
 9. A system as claimed in claim 8wherein the two speakers are located adjacent respective sides of thedigitizing display.
 10. A system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the twospeakers are located adjacent opposite sides of the digitizing display.11. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sounds include a voicereciting information on pages of documents displayed on the videodisplay in one or more languages.
 12. A system as claimed in claim 1wherein the sounds include sounds related to advertising to the seconduser.
 13. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the housing has athickness and the upper surface has a width, the width of the uppersurface being greater than three times the thickness of the housing. 14.An electronic contract disclosure unit (ECDU) adapted to manage abusiness transaction between individuals, the ECDU comprising: ahousing; a substantially flat top on the housing forming a work surfacefor carrying out the business transaction, the top having a width; thehousing and the top being sized to be disposed between individuals withthe top oriented substantially horizontally and accessible to theindividuals; a substantially rectangular digitizing display within thehousing beneath the top, the digitizing display including a videodisplay for displaying pages of documents to individuals during thebusiness transaction and a digitizer for detecting at least signingmotion of a stylus on the top over the video display; the top having atransparent portion overlying and aligned with the digitizing display toallow the video display to be viewed through the top and a secondportion adjacent to the transparent portion, the transparent portion andthe second portion forming at least part of the work surface; at least afirst stylus for use by individuals to perform at least signing motionon the top; a first computer operatively coupled to the digitizingdisplay and containing software that, when executed, causes pages ofdocuments and images associated with the business transaction to bedisplayed to individuals on the video display; the software, whenexecuted, detecting at least signing motions over displayed pages ofdocuments by individuals using the at least one stylus; the software,when executed, further allowing documents and images on the videodisplay to be displayed in a first orientation for at least one of theindividuals and to be displayed in a second orientation different fromthe first orientation for at least another one of the individuals; and asecond computer programmed to carry out functions related to thebusiness transaction independently of the first computer and to transferresulting information to the first computer through a data connectionfor use by the first computer in displaying images to individuals. 15.An ECDU as claimed in claim 14 further comprising at least one audiodevice operatively coupled to the first computer for producing soundsfrom the housing during the transaction.
 16. An ECDU as claimed in claim14 wherein the housing and the top have a combined thickness, the widthof the top being at least 3 times the combined thickness.
 17. An ECDU asclaimed in claim 16 wherein the width of the top is about 5 times thecombined thickness.
 18. An ECDU as claimed in claim 14 wherein theadjacent portion of the top surrounds the transparent portion of thetop.
 19. An ECDU as claimed in claim 15 wherein the at least one audiodevice comprises a pair of audio speakers.
 20. An ECDU as claimed inclaim 19 wherein the audio speakers are located adjacent respectiveopposite sides of the transparent portion of the top.
 21. An ECDU asclaimed in claim 14 wherein the software, when executed, causes optionalitems to be displayed on the video display in addition to documents andimages related to the business transaction, the optional items being forconsideration and selection or rejection by individuals.
 22. An ECDU asclaimed in claim 14 wherein the business transaction comprises thepurchase of a vehicle by at least one of the individuals.
 23. An ECDU asclaimed in claim 22 wherein another one of the individuals is a businessemployee of an automotive dealership.